


The Pirate, the Swan, and the Broken Sword

by dracox_serdriel



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Allerleirauh, Anatolia, Ancient History, Arendelle, Camelot, Case Fic, Coreiseuse, Crossroad Kingdom, Crystal Kingdom, Curse of Ban and Bors, Cursed Object, Dark Swan, Dark Swan Arc, Dreams and Nightmares, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fairies, Fairy Tale Elements, Family Secrets, Foxland, Gen, Glass Mountain Kingdom, Horror, Kingdom of Melodies, Kingdom of the Firebird, Land of Lutes, Loathly Worm, M/M, Maritime Kingdom, Memories, Mist Haven, Monster of the Week, Monsters, Northern Kingdom, POV Multiple, Petrosinella, Red Kingdom, Refuge of the Fairies, Rotten Heart, Southern Kingdom, Storybrooke, The Enchanted Forest, The Gray Lands, Violence, Violent Crime, alternative universe, curse, dark one - Freeform, grotesque
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 16:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 57,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5056240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan became The Dark One to prevent the Darkness from blotting out all the light in Storybrooke on the implicit promise, the hope, that those who loved her would save her. She never thought she'd wind up alone, saving herself. </p><p>
  <em>An alternative version of Season 5 that diverges from the ending of the fifth season premiere, "The Dark Swan."</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Sorcerer

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers** : The story contains spoilers up to and including 05x01 "The Dark Swan."
> 
>  **Content warning** : This story has adult content, including graphic descriptions of violence, sexual content, elements of grotesque/horror/fantasy, and language that far exceed the canon-typical levels. Rated M/NC-17.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  **The Kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest** : In canon, there are many kingdoms in the Enchanted Forest, most of which are not named. For reference, the following are kingdoms with names from canon:
> 
>   * Agrabah (The Genie, aka Sidney)
>   * Arendelle (Queen Elsa/Princess Anna/Kristoff)
>   * Camelot/The Broken Kingdom (King Arthur/Queen Genevieve)
>   * Maritime Kingdom (Prince Eric)
> 

> 
> In _The Pirate, the Swan, and the Broken Sword_ , all kingdoms are referred to by their names, which are pure invention/original to this story. These kingdoms include the following:
> 
>   * Anatolia/The Golden Kingdom (King Midas/Princess Abigail)
>   * Allerleirauh (Prince Phillip)
>   * Crossroad Kingdom (King Leopold/Snow White)
>   * Crystal Kingdom (Poseidon/Ursula/Ariel)
>   * Glass Mountain Kingdom (Prince Thomas/Cinderella)
>   * Gray Lands/Kingdom of the Firebird (Mulan)
>   * Kingdom of Melodies (Belle/Maurice/Colette)
>   * Land of Lutes (Princess Aurora)
>   * Northern Kingdom (Queen Eva)
>   * Petrosinella (Princess Rapunzel)
>   * Red Kingdom (King George/Prince Charming)
>   * Southern Kingdom (King Xavier/Henry/Cora/Queen Regina)
> 


**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time, the was a sorcerer who battled the Darkness, and this is his story.

Once upon a time, there was a young man who became a sorcerer. There wasn't much to say about him, other than he had the gift of magic and cultivated it. He was neither powerful nor weak, wise nor foolish, brave nor cowardly. As a boy, he distrusted extremes, though he never knew why.

This sorcerer never introduced himself by name. On occasions where names were exchanged, he would introduce himself as The Sorcerer or a sorcerer, depending on the mood. If pressed for a name, he would insist upon being called nothing more than friend. And for a long time, his good deeds went unnoticed and unremarked upon, as anyone that he aided had no knowledge of his name.

"How did your children survive the terrible plague?" someone might ask. And the lucky recipient of the sorcerer's help would have no recourse but reply with something like, "A sorcerer saved them when he passed through the area."

The Sorcerer knew that no one enjoyed appearing ignorant or thoughtless. This was why, when those he helped were asked, they felt the need to explain not knowing the Sorcerer's name. They'd describe him as a traveling sorcerer, or a man on a trek with magic, and so on. They did this because what kind of a person would forget the name of the man who saved their friends, family, or village?

For a very, very long time, the Sorcerer did his work as it was intended: in secret. 

Many a fairy tale warns the listener to beware mistreating strangers and poor folk. After all, what if the person is a king or a queen in disguise? Or worse, what if the person is, in fact, a powerful sorcerer or sorceress, testing the goodness of people's hearts?

The truth was that the young Sorcerer was not all that young. When he began to mature, his magic manifested, and for many years, its use and practicality eluded him. But as he became a man, he realized he could heal those made sick by the Darkness.

He faced it for the first time in his twenty-fifth year. The Darkness wanted the Sorcerer as its servant, for, though he did not know it yet, his magic was neither light nor dark. The Sorcerer, being the only man who could see the Darkness for what it was, refused its constant temptations, never wavering in his resolve. Though he did not defeat it at that first meeting, he survived it untouched, and from that day onward, the Sorcerer never aged a day.

And it has been a very, very long time since. 

His first encounter with the Darkness taught The Sorcerer why no one else could see it for what it was. The Darkness could take on many forms: an entrepreneur, a lover, a wild horse, and even something as abstract as an opportunity. The Darkness tempted people with promises, preying on their hopes, coaxing them to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. The Darkness masqueraded as reason, as fear, as truth, and even, on rare occasion, as hope. No one else saw the Darkness because long ago it hid itself so that whenever someone shined too bright a light on it, the Darkness simply dissipated into the shadows. But the Sorcerer saw the Darkness in the shadows; he even saw it in the dark. 

It took many years to discover why no others, even those gifted with magic like himself, could see the Darkness. In this realm, and all others, people taught children that the Darkness was a dream, a myth, a fairy tale, and should they ever see it with their own eyes, it was merely their imagination.

Luckily, the Sorcerer had never been taught such nonsense.

That was when the Sorcerer decided that he would work as the Darkness did: in the shadows. His name became his greatest secret, and all who met him either called him Sorcerer or friend and nothing more. He insisted that he was not the wisest, most powerful, or bravest of all sorcerers, and he told himself that he wasn't lying because, in due fairness, he hadn't met every sorcerer there was and will be. By staying in the dim, grey light, there would be no great legends attributed to his name, but neither would he suffer the dangers of fame, which incurred requests of corrupt rulers as well as the wrath of villains.

 

A very long time after, a legend spread of a great and powerful sorcerer who lived in the Broken Kingdom of Camelot. So great and wonderful were his gifts that he defeated the Darkness, tethering its vile magic to a single, controllable entity called the Dark One.

And his name was Merlin.

The Sorcerer fiercely protected the secret of the Dark One Dagger; in fact, he was so focused on hiding the truth of the broken sword and its dagger counterpart that he failed to protect his own secret: his name. Though Merlin was not his true name, it was an endearment close to his heart, and its fame cost him both the name and the life he had built with it.

As he knew they would, emissaries of great sovreigns came to him with invitations to act as an advisor or protector of the realm. Villainous servants of the Darkness now had the name of the man responsible for their failures. The Sorcerer had lived without enemies for a very, very long time, and he was unprepared to endure the catastrophe that came of suddenly having countless adversaries, whether they hated him for his battle against the Darkness or his polite decline of an invitation. 

The Sorcerer then did something drastic.

He took on an Apprentice, and together the two crafted a story that would make the man called Merlin a memory and protected the broken sword. The story went something like this:

After trapping the Darkness, Merlin settled down in Camelot, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Once and Future King. 

Many years passed, and though the Darkness remained leashed, the evil of Camelot persisted. Merlin despaired. He defeated the Darkness, but it was not enough to open the hearts of the Broken Kingdom. In fact, the Dark One enabled their hearts to become darker still, since all those who lived could now point to the Dark One and claim, "Is there not a darker soul than mine?"

And so Camelot continued on its decline, and Merlin's hope dwindled.

Then a terrible villain awoke, and his name spread far and wide: the Dark Wizard. As many servants of the Darkness, he believed that destroying Merlin would free his master from the Dark One. 

The Dark Wizard traveled to Camelot seeking Merlin to launch his attack. And so they fought, sometimes for days and nights at a time without rest. The sky filled with fire and ash, and soon after, the land became tainted and no longer bore fruit.

Merlin retreated, fearing that the cost of defeating the Dark Wizard would be the destruction of Camelot. So he made arrangements for the future of Camelot, afraid he would not live to see it himself. He tasked his Apprentice with guarding his hat and gifted him a ceremonial dagger. Then he took the great sword Excalibur and thrust it into a stone imbued with the strongest of his magic.

"Let it be known that only the true king of Camelot can hope to free the sword from the stone," Merlin announced. "The Once and Future King need only take this sword to mend the Broken Kingdom."

The news spread abroad. When the Dark Wizard heard it, he became wild with joy, for Merlin had done all this in fear. Fear that he would not live to see the Broken Kingdom mended. Fear that he would fail all of Camelot. Fear that he would lose this battle. Indeed, before his preparations, no one ever thought that Merlin could be defeated. 

So, the Dark Wizard, being as wise as he was dark, feigned injury and retreated to learn more about the great and wonderful Merlin. Though no one could say with certainty who he was or where he came from - or even how old he was - the Dark Wizard discerned the depth of Merlin's knowledge, the breadth of his travels, and the span of his experience. From this, the Dark Wizard reasoned that Merlin had an incorruptibility that even age could not defile. Armed with this knowledge, he sought a transmogrification spell that could leave an immortal paralyzed in stasis. 

Over a decade after Merlin entrusted the sword to the stone, the Dark Wizard called a deadly storm to cover all of Camelot. Merlin restored the lands, but in so doing, he became cursed. Once the farms and the forests regained their splendor, roots ensnared the great and marvelous Merlin. Moments after his victory, his body became a glorious Oak tree, which became a prison not even he could escape.

But as everybody knows, all magic comes with a price. Once Merlin's transmutation was complete, the Dark Wizard's debt came due, and all his magic returned to the earth. The mighty wizard who defeated the greatest sorcerer in all the realms could no longer wield magic, so he fled to the ends of the realm to hide from all those who would avenge Merlin's plight. He died soon after. 

Of course, the Oak inspired stories. Some claim the tree whispers to those it deems worthy. Some even go so far to say that the tree whispered to Arthur himself when he was a boy, urging him to be brave, for one day he would rule all of Camelot.

 

To this day, the Sorcerer is a fairy tale. He is but a dream no one can properly recall, and should you ever see the Sorcerer with your own eyes, it is merely your imagination.


	2. The Villainous Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Storybrooke finds itself with a new curse, missing memories, and a new Dark One.

The world shook violently, so Killian braced himself against the counter at Granny's Diner, taking quick stock of those around him.

Snow and David held baby Neal in a booth, and Henry, who was dusting himself off, was an arm's length from them. Leroy, Doc, Bashful, Happy, and Dopey were all on the floor, but they seemed fine. Zelena sat behind him with an angry look in her eye as Robin helped Regina to her feet. Roland clung to his father's leg. Granny and Belle were both behind the counter. 

"What happened?" Snow asked. 

"Good question," Regina replied. 

A chorus of empty queries and responses went up, filling the diner with unnecessary noise.

He noticed many strange things, such as the odd attire they all wore and the fact that Zelena's belly was suddenly much larger. In fact, as far as he could recall, they were all walking into Camelot just moments ago. But one question eclipsed the oddities and curiosities. 

"Where's Emma?" Killian asked loudly. 

"Emma?" David said. 

"Emma!" echoed Snow.

There was no reply. 

"Swan!" Killian yelled. 

The diner door swung open, and Sneezy, wearing Emma's leather jacket, ran inside followed by Sleepy. 

"You're back!" Sneezy exclaimed. 

"Back? But, we just left," Snow said.

"You've been gone for three months," Sleepy said. 

"Three months?" Killian asked. "If we were gone for that long, we must've found Emma. So where the bloody hell is she?"

"Relax, I'm right here."

As Killian's eyes met the speaker, a memory surged to the surface. 

_Emma pulled Killian close and said, "I love you."_

_His heart raced with anticipation. He had once confessed that meeting Emma opened his heart and helped him let go of his first love. He had even told her that she was his happy ending. But he had never said those words to her because the time had never been right._

_Until now._

_He leaned in so his forehead touched hers with the words on the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, she pushed him away, turned, and thrust the dagger into the Darkness, forcing it to anchor to her. In a single, terrifying moment, it engulfed Emma Swan, and she was swept up into the air. They vanished, and the Dark One Dagger clattered as it fell to earth._

As the memory washed over him, Killian thought that that moment - watching Emma Swan disappear into the Darkness - would be the worst memory of his life. 

How wrong he was.

Emma Swan, who at the moment looked not a thing like Emma Swan, walked with a sure and deliberate stride. Her hair was like colorless straw, and her features seemed sharper, starker. Her eyes were somehow emptier. Killian could see her perception like a light pouring out of them, but all the warmth had gone from them. 

"Emma, what happened to you?" Snow asked.

"You speak as if surprised," Emma replied. "As if you don't know."

"And you speak as if you didn't realize taking our memories would have that effect," Regina retorted. "You'll be giving those back to us, Swan."

"And why would I do that? Because you asked so nicely?"

"Oh, I'm not asking," Regina said as she reached to her side, but she found nothing.

"Are you looking for this?" Emma asked, holding up the Dark One Dagger. "If that was your plan, then I'm afraid you'll be remaining clueless for the foreseeable future."

Sneezy stumbled towards Emma, as if to take the dagger; though, in fairness to the dwarf, he could've been trying to escape but tripped mid-sneeze. Sleepy made a vain attempt to stop him.

Emma held up the palm of her hand, and Sleepy and Sneezy turned to stone. The Dagger disappeared. 

"From now on, no one will touch this dagger but me," she said calmly.

Killian felt a sweeping cold fill his insides. The image of Emma dispassionately killing two of her friends flooded forever imprinted itself in his mind.

"Why are you doing this?" Killian asked.

"Because of what happened in Camelot," Emma replied. "For everything that was done to me there, and because I can, now that I'm the Dark One."

Then Emma Swan, or what was left of her, vanished in a thick black smoke.

 

The first week after their return to Storybrooke was filled with paranoia and fear. A dozen people crossed the town line in a desperate attempt to escape, but they all wound up returning as soon as they left. No matter how they travelled - walking, bicycling, driving, or thrown via slingshot - they came back just the same.

Leroy somehow convinced Smee to try to escape by boat, and together they took a small motorboat out to sea, but they, too, were turned about when they crossed the limits of the town's waters.

Snow and David did their best to calm everyone, but panic continued as the word spread that there was no escape from Storybrooke. The Blue Fairy and Belle began working on the memory problem while Regina analyzed the latest curse to find a way to break the spell.

And then there were the new arrivals. 

The Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur caused quite a ruckus when as they galloped through the town with their lances, and they were just the start. It seemed as if all of Camelot had come to Storybrooke, and they, too, had no recollection of the past three months. The last thing anyone could remember was the arrival of the prophesized Savior. 

Regina, Killian, Henry, Snow, and David all searched for Emma in their own way, but there had been no sign of her. Henry suggested summoning her, but the idea was shot down unanimously. 

At least, for the first seven days it was. 

Killian became desperate to find Emma, especially after her phone inbox refused to let him leave another message. Every morning, he walked to her yellow automobile, which was parked outside Granny's with an undisturbed layer of dust, and he waited for her. She must be in Storybrooke, and wherever she was, he feared she was alone. 

On the eighth morning, Killian completed his morning car visitation ritual, but this time he waited much longer. 

"Where are you, Swan?" he asked, as if the car might reply. "Don't make me summon you."

"Summon me?" Emma said as she appeared next to him. "All you have to do is call to me. I'll hear you wherever you are."

"Emma, I've been calling you," he replied. "I've used that bloody contraption you gave me a hundred times."

"I'm not talking about the phone," she said with a smile. "Never mind the details. I've been looking for you too. You've been quite elusive." 

She took his arm, and suddenly, they were suddenly standing in the yard of a blue manor with a white picket fence.

"This is my place," she said. "Come on in."

She walked in, and he followed, unsure why she would welcome him into her home. He briefly examined the premises, and he recognized something of Swan's touch in the decoration. Yet the overwhelming feeling of the place was emptiness. 

"You've been here all this time?" Killian asked.

"I do live here," she replied. "But you? You haven't been on your ship."

"I've been staying with your boy."

"You mean at my parent's place or Regina's," she corrected. "Two placed I'd never drop in."

"Why's that?" he asked. "What happened in Camelot?"

"Never mind that," she said. "I hope you didn't come looking for me just to talk about the past."

"Whatever happened in Camelot, it's the reason you're like this now."

"Just because I'm the Dark One doesn't mean we can't still be together," she replied.

"Then tell me. Tell me what happened to you, to us. Tell me how I failed you - "

"Failed me?" she interrupted. "You didn't."

Killian's mind reeled at the possibilities. Emma had pulled away from him before, put up walls, and even ran in the other direction. But she had never been coy and cunning with him.

She took his collar and brought him closer. She whispered, "Killian, I mean it. You didn't fail me."

He couldn't think of anything to say, so he pulled her into a long, deep kiss that she returned. True love's kiss could break any curse, even the Dark One.

"I missed you too," she said quietly.

Nothing happened. 

"It didn't work," he said. "Why didn't it work?"

"It did work, Killian."

"Then why are you still like this? Shouldn't you be free?"

She put her hand on his cheek. "I am free," she replied. "You just can't remember."

"Then tell me," he said, not bothering to hide his frustrated. "Tell me what happened."

She looked him in the eye and said, "Killian, I am going to make you a promise: I will never lie to you."

"You can tell me anything." 

"You don't understand," she said. "My promise includes half-truths and lies of omission."

"Then tell me everything."

"No," she replied. 

"So is that it?" he asked. "I suppose promising me honesty is simple enough when you intend us to co-exists in silence."

"A little bit of silence wouldn't be a bad thing," she said, sliding her hand up his chest. "In fact, I imagine that could be highly desirable."

Killian saw her desire, even heard in her voice, but there was no sign of her affection, her warmth, or her love.

"Am I so different that you won't even try?" she asked.

"This isn't us," he replied as he pulled away. "This isn't you, and even if it is you, it's not me. Not anymore."

She didn't stop him from leaving.

 

Killian kept his exchange with Swan to himself, going over it again and again in his head. If she still loved him, why did she take his memories? Why promise honest but refuse to answer questions? 

Around noon, his phone rang. 

"Hello?"

"Killian, it's David. I need your help."

"What's wrong? Is it Emma?"

"No," he replied. "I was called in when Robin found one of Camelot's subjects dead."

"Are you certain that she's not involved?" Killian asked. "I know we don't want to think of it, but she did petrify two dwarfs. And those were her friends."

"This wasn't her," David replied. "Whoever did this didn't use magic, and Emma would have."

"Aye, well, that's some good news at least," Killian said. "Why would the sheriff need my help?"

"Emma was the real sheriff. I was just helping out, but now that she's... no longer sheriff, that puts me in charge," he replied. "She trusted you, Killian. You were always her first call."

"I'm afraid those days are over, mate."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean she was wrong about you," David said. 

Killian decided that recent events made a distraction quite welcome. He said, "Very well, tell me where."

 

Robin Hood and his men had set up camps for the many Camelot citizens who refused to live in the odd Storybrooke apartments offered to them. The encampments were cozy and well set, but no one bothered with security beyond the tent zippers.

"Ah, good, you're here," Robin said as Killian approached. "We think this man walked in on someone looting."

"Any possibility the thief is one of your merry men?" Killian asked. "No offense, mate, but your lot do have a reputation."

"Indeed. They were the first I questioned, but none of them would do this. We stole from the rich. Whoever this was took from the poorest people in Camelot, and what he took from them was all they had."

"You mean there's a ruffian going around stealing, what? Forks and spoons?"

"And pots and pans," Robin added.

"You're serious."

"I'm afraid so. Come take a look."

Robin led Killian to David, who waited outside a tent that stood apart from the rest of the camp.

"Hook, great, you're here," David said. "You should prepare yourself." 

"David asked the encampment to pull up stakes and relocate," Robin explained, "to prevent anyone from stumbling in on this."

Killian pulled the flap back and saw what they meant. The body of a middle-aged man was strewn across the floor. From the looks of it, there was a messy fight, and this poor man died from a common cutting knife to the neck.

"This wouldn't've been silent," Killian said. "Someone must've seen or heard something."

"A few said that loud noises woke them from their sleep last night," Robin said. "But no one heard a scream or called for help."

"If you have all this figured out, why exactly am I here?" Killian asked. "You and Robin seem to have this well in hand."

"Except I promised Regina I'd help her with her research," Robin replied.

"And whoever did this needs to be caught," David said. "If they can do something like this, I don't want to think about them on the loose in Storybrooke."

 

David and Killian made an inventory of the missing items after spending hours speaking with the residents of the encampment. The tent in question housed the shared tools for a quarter of the Camelot settlers, with everything from pitchforks to spare culinary utensils. The looter had taken a dozen pots, several scythes, and a box of cutlery. 

"Who would kill someone over this?" Killian asked. "None of it is worth anything. Normally I'd say we find the loot, we find the killer, but he's stealing artifacts that half the town must own."

"No... because these are all from Camelot."

"They're pots and pans, mate."

"Pots and pans marked with the seal of Camelot," David pointed out. "I doubt anyone else in Storybrooke would have anything like that."

"Then perhaps we can follow the loot."

"The question is, where do we start?" David asked. "They could've buried it in the woods for all we know."

"My old crew has set up in a building near the docs," Killian replied. 

"You think they're involved?"

"No, they'd steal chests of gold or precious jewels, not household niceties, but they might have an idea where someone could go to hide such treasures, if we can call them that. Something tells me that a thief who strikes in the dead of night wouldn't plan to bury it in the dark."

"That's a good idea," David said, impressed. 

"If you want me to believe that you trust me as Emma did, then perhaps it would be best if you didn't sound so surprised," he said.

"Right, sorry. I'll go back to the crime scene with Snow and see if she can pick up a trail."

 

Killian's old crew had made a residence out of an old repair shop for smaller boats. They converted into crew quarters and a mess hall with old timber and parts, creating a sort of land-locked ship. It suited them better than the apartments or hotel rooms, and in due time, they'd snatch up any vessel along the Storybrooke coastline.

Smee and his fellow crewmates gleefully described a number of locations for a hidden cache.

"If any of you see anything that bears the Camelot insignia, report to me immediately," Killian said. 

"Aye, aye," echoed through the land-locked ship.

Smee followed Killian out onto the docks.

"Captain," Smee said. "A word?"

"Speak quickly."

"Each day, I come here at sunrise and sunset to keep an eye on the Jolly Roger."

"Thank you, Smee, but as you can see, she's fine."

"She is sir," Smee said. "But I've seen someone on deck at dawn on dusk every day. The first few times, I ran down to see who it was, but they had gone before I got there."

"Who do you think this person is, Smee?"

"From afar, Captain, it could be you," Smee replied. "Except whoever it is has white or fair hair."

"Should you see that figure again, do not approach. Don't even stare at it too long, you understand? Use one of those phone devices to reach me."

"Sir, who do you think it is?" Smee asked.

Killian hesitated. "Whoever it is, Mr. Smee, is either very dangerous or very stupid. Best if you stay away, don't you agree?"

"Aye, aye Captain."

 

Snow White was an excellent tracker. She could retrace animal tracks, human tracks, even werewolf tracks, without a doubt in her mind what the next step would be. No matter who they were, they'd leave a trail of one kind or another.

"Belle suggested this...device," David said as he held up an awkwardly shaped piece of metal.

At first, she felt insulted. She had failed at many things. She had given in to the darkness and killed Cora. She had put her daughter through a magical wardrobe and missed nearly thirty years of her life. The list of poor choices on her part wasn't short, certainly, but her tracking abilities had never been up for question.

Of course, her eldest child, the Savior, was now the Dark One. That kind of change made everyone question everything. 

"David, how does this help us?" Snow asked.

"It's some kind of detector," David said. "It can help you find objects made of metal that can't be seen."

"You think our thief might've left us a trail of stolen goods?"

"No. To be honest, I think Belle just wanted to do something, anything, to help," David replied. "She hasn't gotten anywhere with Rumpelstiltskin's recovery, this new curse, the Darkness, or Merlin. So I can't really blame her."

"We'll find a way," Snow said. "The Apprentice was able to save Gold after he was the Dark One for centuries."

"That's what started all this! He pulled the Darkness out of Gold, and it nearly killed both of them. Had he left it where it was, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Maybe we should focus on the task at hand," Snow said. "Is that device working?"

David waved it over the ground, but nothing happened. He waved it over his sword, and it beeped.

"Seems to be."

"Then follow me," she said.

 

Killian had checked every cache site his crew had mentioned. He proceeded to check any similar location he could identify, but he found nothing. 

The trouble was that he knew nothing of this thief, other than he murdered a man for pots and pans. He wasn't sure what else to do, so he left a message for David with his news, or lack thereof.

He walked to the police station to give himself time to think. Emma was the one who knew what to do next when it came to investigations. She might not be entirely familiar with horseback riding or steering a ship, but she was well versed in human behavior. So he wondered what Emma would say. 

As he reached the station, Leroy and Doc ran out of the building.

"Help! The Dark One came back for Sneezy and Sleepy!" Doc yelled.

"We need our sheriff! SHERIFF!" Leroy shouted.

"Hold fast dwarfs," Killian said. "What's all this about?"

"Regina tried to de-stone Sneezy and Sleepy," Doc explained. "But she couldn't, so we moved them to a safe place where no one would knock them over or shatter them."

"You do realize they hold criminals in the sheriff's station from time to time?" Killian asked. 

"Are you paying attention?" Leroy protested. "We don't have to worry about criminals. Doc and I were visiting them when Emma just magicked herself inside, like she belonged there! Said she was looking for the stone dwarfs and then boom, we're outside!" 

"She's here right now?" Killian asked.

"You got sand in your ears? YES! She's here right now!" Leroy replied.

"You two, go to Granny's and call David, let him know what's happening. Don't come back to the station until you've ben told it's safe."

"Wait, you're telling me that you are gonna handle this?" Leroy asked. "When last I checked, being the Dark One's boyfriend didn't qualify you to be the sheriff!"

"The Prince asked for my assistance, and when last I checked, he was the sheriff. So, unless you two want to be turned to stone yourselves, mind my instructions."

Doc and Leroy scurried away without another word.

Killian marched into the station, not entirely certain what he planned on doing. Asking the Dark One nicely to leave the dwarfs alone? Making some kind of deal with her about it? None of his ideas were good ones, certainly. 

"Hello?" he said to the empty station. "Anyone here?"

"Who's there?" a muffled voice asked from behind a desk.

"It's Killian," he said. "Are you all right there, mate?"

Sneezy's head popped up from behind the desk.

"Dwarf? I thought you were stone," Killian said. "What about the other one? Is he all right?"

"Sleepy? He's fine. After, uh, she left, the first thing he did was fall asleep." 

"I know you're probably not much in the mood, but I need two things from you. They're both very important. First, I need you to tell me everything that happened here tonight."

"What's the second thing?" the dwarf asked. 

"The red jacket," Killian said. "Would you mind?"

"No, not at all. I only used it because Emma left it here at the station," he replied as he took off the coat and handed it to Killian. 

"Now, tell me everything."

"Well, I was in Granny's, and I saw... Emma, The Dark One. I wanted to get out of there, but I fell, Sleepy here didn't help. The next thing I know, I'm in some closet, and I don't remember how I got there."

"That's all?"

"Yes. Well, no. See, Emma was here. She said that we had served our time, but the next person wouldn't get off so easily," Sneezy said. "I don't know what that means."

"Very well. You two need to stay here," Killian explained. "When the Prince returns, he will need you to tell him everything you just told me."

"Wait, if I was just going to have to tell him, why did I tell you?" Sneezy asked as Killian left.

 

Killian did a quick stop at Granny's to inform Leroy and Doc, but he made a point of leaving before anyone asked him questions. Then he took a long walk to clear his head.

It didn't make any sense. First Emma petrified two dwarfs for essentially tripping in front of her. Then she freed them after a week. What Sneezy said made it sound as if Swan had sentenced him and Sleepy for some kind of crime.

Turning someone to stone, even if only for a little while, was obviously unacceptable, but if what the dwarf said was true, then Emma wasn't slaughtering people, she was sentencing them. At the very least, some part of Sheriff Swan remained.

At some point, he found himself standing on the docks by the Jolly Roger. 

"Hook?" Archie asked. "Is that you?"

"Ah, hello Archie," Killian replied.

"Are you all right? I, well, I only ask because... you're carrying that." He indicated the jacket Killian had in his arms.

"That's... it's hard to explain."

"Listen I know we've not had the opportunity to speak, save for the time you abducted me and tortured me about Gold - "

"I am sorry about that, mate," Killian said quickly.

"I know. Hook - Killian, everyone knows how far you've come, even if we don't mention it," Archie replied.

"Emma did."

"If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where my office is," Archie said. 

"Indeed."

With that, Doctor Hopper left the docks, and Killian stood by his ship as the sun went down. For the first time in a week, he felt hope. If Emma held on to some part of her that believed in justice, then perhaps there was a way to reach her as the Dark One. And according to Smee, she'd be aboard any minute now.

He waited on deck until it was dark. When she didn't show, he realized their morning conversation might have put her off future rendezvous.

"Emma," Killian said out loud. "I need your help, love."

"I know for you that's just an endearment, but 'love' is a step in the right direction," Emma said. "What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to find someone, but I've run out of leads or whatever it is you call them," Killian replied. 

"This person you're looking for, tell me more about them."

"He or she looted the Camelot encampment."

"You're investigating crime?" she asked, intrigued.

"Your father request my services," he replied. "I've tasked my old crew, searched half of Storybrooke, and probably spoke to all of Camelot."

"So basically your only lead is searching the other half of Storybrooke?" Emma asked playfully. 

"Will you help me, Swan?"

"I have one condition."

"Do you mean a deal?" Killian asked, disappointed.

"No, Killian," she said, her anger bubbling to the surface with electrical flickering to match. "I am not Rumpelstiltskin."

"But you said - "

She interrupted, "It was a figure of speech. I was going to ask you why you had that jacket."

"I took it from one of the dwarfs," he replied. He held it out to her. "It's yours."

"You keep it for me."

"Swan, I didn't... I misunderstood," he said. "I made deals with the bloody Crocodile, and it never turned out well."

"I said I'd help you, and I promised not to lie to you. You just need to trust me. Oh, and you should answer that."

Killian's phone rang. He answered, "Hello?"

"Killian," David replied. "Bad news. We found another body."

"Is it the same culprit?"

"Remember how we made an inventory of stolen goods? Scythes were on that list, and this victim was impaled with one that has the crest of Camelot on the handle."

"Probably our man, then. How did you come across this one?"

"Snow tracked our looter to an apartment complex with Camelot residents. Same pattern. The thief goes in, gathers up seemingly worthless things from Camelot, and was interrupted. We could really use your help here."

"Right, then, what's the address?"

"Forty three West Forest." 

"Something's wrong," Emma said as soon as he hung up. 

"Aye, our looter has struck again." 

"A lot of fuss for some petty theft."

"I'm afraid this thief has killed two people."

"You said you were looking for a looter," Emma said.

"Aye, we find the stolen goods, we find the killer."

Emma's expression shifted to something dark and angry. "You don't seem to understand, Killian. I am the Dark One, and so long as I am alive, I will be the only villain in Storybrooke."

"Swan, you said you would help me!"

"Believe me, I will find your murderer long before you do," she said with a sinister hiss in her voice.

Then she vanished.

 

David never imagined himself as a sheriff, least of all becoming one after his time as prince and reigning king in the Enchanted Forest. Truth be told, the job fit him well: solving problems and conflicts that affected the entire community and, of course, facing danger on a daily basis. He had witnessed the slaughter of innocent people and the effects of terrible magic, which steeled him against the horror and anxiety that came with being law enforcement in a town of cursed people from other realms. 

Yet the two murders that happened today in Storybrooke turned his stomach. 

The first murder was different. It resulted from a sudden, violent struggle. At first glance, the second murder appeared to be the same, but as he walked through the scene a second time, he saw a very different crime. The victim was a younger than the first and probably put up more of a fight, but the assailant had viciously slashed and beaten this man.

"Your majesty? Are you in here?" the priate asked. 

"Come in, but be careful," David replied. 

"Bloody hell."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad, and now I'm wondering if I was right to think this was the same man."

"Before we get much further in this conversation," Killian began. "I've something to tell you. About Emma."

"I already heard about Sleepy and Sneezy," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she undid the spell, but we need to put stop to all this, and - "

"I spoke to Swan today," Killian interrupted.

"What did you say?" Snow said as she entered the room.

"I spoke with Emma, and - " 

"When? How?" David interrupted. 

"The first time was this morning, but - "

"The first time?" Snow interrupted. "You've spoken with her more than once?"

"Yes, but - "

David cut him off, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm telling you now!" Killian said loudly. "I will explain if you will allow me to complete my sentences."

"Well, tell us," he said impatiently. 

"I wanted to see how she was," Killian explained. "She'd been by herself all weeks for all I knew."

"You summoned her, didn't you? Even though we agreed we wouldn't do that," Snow said.

"No, I didn't. I sort of... talked to her out loud and she heard me. She'd been looking for me, too, on the Jolly Roger. Our conversation didn't go very well, I wound up walking out... but after I spoke to Sneezy, I thought maybe she'd help us. So I told her about the looter, but after your call she knew something was wrong - "

"Wait, you were with her when I called?" David asked, interrupting again. "Why didn't you say something?"

Killian's fumbled words made David simultaneously angry and happy. He wasn't sure why the pirate seemed so distressed about what sounded like progress on the Emma front.

"She knows about the murders," Killian said. "And she told me that so long as she was alive, she'd be the only villain in Storybrooke."

"What?" Snow asked. "What does that mean?"

"You know what it means," David said quietly. "She's going after whoever did this."

"Aye," Killian said.

"What were you thinking, Hook?" he asked. 

"I thought... it doesn't matter what I thought," Killian said. "But I'm afraid by reaching out to her, I've complicated things."

David was ready to yell, but Snow interceded. With a touch of her hand, she quelled his anger.

"You were trying to help," Snow said to Killian. "We know that, but we need to find the killer before Emma does."

"You want us to resolve an investigation before Swan?" Killian asked. 

"Snow's right, we need to try," David said. "Which means figuring out who did this."

David looked at the victim, lying dead in his own kitchen next to a collection of Camelot pots and pans. Blood was everywhere.

"The last time I saw something like this, it was a werewolf attack," Snow said. 

"Aye, far more gruesome than the first," the pirate added. "And this time, our killer left the loot behind. After all this, he wouldn't have left without what he came for."

"Unless he was injured," David said. "We need to check the hospital and anyplace else someone would go to treat an injury."

"Good idea, mate," Killian replied.

David and Snow made to leave, but the pirate stayed behind.

"Aren't you coming?" Snow asked.

"I've another idea," he replied. "You go on ahead, your majesties."

 

Emma Swan had been alone for most of her life. She grew up in foster care. Even when surrounded by others, she had been alone. She put up walls to protect herself and weathered a thousand storms within, alone.

For five tremulous years, she let people get close to her for the first time since Neal betrayed her. She had a family with four generations living in Storybrooke with her. Solitude became a rarity, and it was wonderful and terrible.

Until she became the Dark One. Then she slowly became more and more alone. By the time she embraced the Darkness, she was just as alone as she grew up, surrounding by people but isolated from them.

Killian was confused, a byproduct of his memory loss, but he did reach out to her twice. His resistance to their relationship made her deeply unhappy and more than a little angry, but she understood it. His history with the previous Dark One made him wary and suspicious, and though she hated the thought, she needed to be patient. And persistent.

After he told her about the murders, she used a glamour spell to make herself look like a young woman with dark hair and a deputy's badge. Then she teleported to the forest near the first crime scene, which she identified easily given the amount of fear and distress surround it.

Before she even entered the tent, she sensed it: magic. She unzipped the tent and stepped inside. The body had since been removed, but she didn't need to see it to know that the violence that happened here had been amplified by dark magic. But this magic wasn't wielded by a person like Regina or herself. No, this was something else entirely. 

"Emma Swan," Killian said.

His voice was barely a whisper from miles across town, but she heard it as if he were next to her. She felt his concern, his anxiety, his urgency.

She teleported to his side. 

"Killian."

"Who are - Swan? Is that you?" he asked. 

"You called me," she replied.

"It's just... you look like a schoolteacher," he said. "Some sort of spell, I assume?"

"I'm sure people have already assumed that I'm behind all this. Glamouring myself is the only way I can visit the crime scenes without instilling panic."

"Why would anyone think you're behind this, Swan?" he asked.

"Bad things happening and a person named the Dark One nearby," she replied simply. "Obvious assumption."

"Except no one is making it," Killian replied. "These murders are bloody violent but physical, not magical. I called you because you said you'd find the killer before we did, and you're right. You probably will."

"What about it?" 

"I'd like to work with you," he replied. 

"You mean how we used to sheriff together?"

"I prefer thinking of it as chasing monsters," Killian said. 

"Are you asking because you want to work with me or because you're concerned about what I'll do when I find whoever's behind it?" she asked. 

"Bit of both, love," he admitted.

She considered his invitation. He wouldn't like what she did when she identified the culprit, but given the escalating violence, her choices were fast disappearing. He seemed sincere, and perhaps if they spent more time together, he'd start to trust her again.

"Very well," she said. "But you're wrong. Magic involved, just not directly. Some kind of curse or dark object."

"Your mother likened it to a werewolf attack," Killian said.

"Magic leaves traces, and this happened recently enough that I can follow it," she said. "Are you coming?"

"Of course, Swan, but..."

"But what?"

"Are you going to look like that the whole time?"

She snapped her fingers, and Killian saw her true face again.

"Better?" she asked.

He took her hand, and they disappeared.

 

Snow and David arrived in the hospital to find it chaos. Nurses and orderlies raced around pushing gurneys or loaded with supplies and paper work. 

"What is going on?" Snow whispered.

"We better find out."

"There's no one at the desk," she said.

"Whale?" he suggested.

He led the way to Whale's office, and they found the door ajar. David put his hand out to stop Snow from going inside.

"I can hear Whale," she said. "We should go in."

"Hold on," David replied. "Listen."

"I demand justice!" someone shouted. 

"Your majesty, please," Doctor Whale said. "One of the nurses can call the sheriff for you, but as I explained, I am a doctor, not police."

"Being a healer of the realm requires you to do everything in your power to protect it," the other man protested. 

"Maybe that's true in your land," Whale replied. "But that's not the case where I come from, and it's not the case here. I am a doctor. I heal people. I don't investigate crimes or punish people for committing them."

"Sounds like a cowardly endeavor," the other man said harshly. "Any man too afraid to do right by his people and his king need only become a healer. Then he may hide behind his healing and do no wrong!"

"My sole concern is for the safety and recovery of my patients," Whale replied. "Call me cowardly all you'd like, but that singular goal, that focus afforded to my job that infuriates you - that's how I save lives. I don't think about who they are or what they do or what will happen if I save them. All I do is save them. And that means I am the best chance your people have for survival."

"Fine words for a healer," the other replied. "Most men who mean what they say have no use for lexical theatrics."

Whale raised his voice. "Let me make myself clear, if you do not put that sword down and let me out of this office, people will die. Your people."

"He's in trouble, we need to get in there," Snow said.

David nodded and drew his sword, and Snow notched an arrow on her bow. He held up his left hand and signaled a count of three. 

On the mark, he kicked in the door, and Snow stepped in behind him, sliding into the corner so she had the entire room covered with her bow.

"Drop the sword!" David yelled.

Whale had backed up to the far side of his office, and the other man must've been pushed forward into the desk when the door smashed open. He straightened himself up and turned to face the new arrivals, his sword at the ready. It was only then that David recognized him as King Arthur.

"Finally," Whale said. "This is the sheriff, formerly known as Prince Charming or James... or David. Now if you don't mind, I have patients that need care."

"You are the sheriff?" Arthur asked. "I thought you ruled this land."

"I am the sheriff," David replied. "Snow and I will help you, your majesty, but first we need to let Doctor Whale get back to the patients. Enough people have died today."

To show his sincerity, David sheathed his sword, and Snow relaxed her draw arm and returned the arrow to its quiver. Finally, King Arthur returned his blade to its sheath as well, and Whale raced out of the room without another word.

"I apologize if my actions appear criminal to you," Arthur said. "In my land, those who heal the body also mend the soul. They would treat a killer out of mercy, but that killer would not be kept with the innocent people that he harmed. And the healers of Camelot would pursue justice for something as gruesome as this."

"You only threatened Doctor Whale to protect your people," Snow said. "There's no crime in that."

"From what you said, you seem to think that the person who did this is in the hospital with the others," David said. 

"I know it," he replied. "I saw the assailant with my own eyes, and I stopped him with this sword."

"Who is he?" Snow asked.

"A man named Sir Percival."

"A Knight of the Round Table did this?" David asked in surprise.

"How do you know about the Round Table?" Arthur asked. "The few times we've met, I've never mentioned it to you."

"You and your kingdom are... well, legends here," David replied. "Will you tell us what happened?"

Arthur nodded. "My squire, Griff, ran into my quarters with news that my subjects were under attack. I sent him to summon the Knights of the Round Table while I went ahead. When I arrived, nearly a dozen people were on the ground, bleeding, and Sir Percival stood over one of them, his sword raised. I assumed that he had somehow gotten there before me. I thought... I thought the man under his feet was responsible for the injured. Had I not implicitly trusted Percival, I could've saved Old Samuel Friar."

"Percival killed him?" Snow asked.

"That's when I knew something was wrong," Arthur replied quickly. "Percival is... was a good and honorable knight. He would never kill a man he had already subdued. After he drove a blade into that man's heart, I shouted his name, and when he turned to me, I saw his face... his eyes. It was as if he wasn't Percival anymore. He didn't reclaim his sword from the body, so when he attacked me, his only weapon was a dagger. I subdued him with a moral wound. When the fairies brought the people here, they took Percival, too."

"It's good they did," Snow said. "If he survives, we can talk to him."

"What good will that do?" Arthur asked. 

"Your majesty, Snow and I came here because we found another subject of Camelot murdered not three hours ago, and we thought his killer might've been injured during the attack. This is one of the only places someone can go for treatment," David replied. "Maybe Percival can give us answers."

"I'm afraid this may soon be the only place for healing," Arthur said quietly. "The people that were attacked today, they were all Healers of Camelot."

"You think they were targeted?" he asked.

"I know it," Arthur replied. "The healers of the realm are all subjects of Camelot, but their identities are protected by secrecy. Only the Knights of the Round Table, myself, and my wife know who they are. The man killed this morning, his name was Daniel du Lac, and he was a kind and noble teacher of the healing arts. Percival didn't just attack citizens of Camelot, he stuck at our very heart."

"Would Percival have any reason to lash out?" Snow asked.

"We have yet to find his sister Dindrane or his beloved, Sir Galahad," Arthur replied. "He had a heated argument with the other knights when we put off searching for others in order to secure our encampments. But even so, his grievance was not unheard. I gave him my word we would search again."

"I'll have people here to secure Percival; you have my word, he won't escape," David said. "The best thing you can do now is return to your people. They need you now more than ever."

"I'm afraid I cannot," he replied. "Among the injured is my wife, Queen Guinevere."

"Then go to her," Snow said. "David and I will handle the rest, including informing your people."

"No," he said. "I mean, thank you for your kind offer, but my people need to see that the Knights of the Round Table are still their protectors. Sir Gawain shall be in charge of securing the encampment and informing my people. Everything else I leave in your hands."

"Very well your majesty," David replied.

Snow began to leave, but Arthur stopped them.

"You said another Camelot citizen was murdered?" Arthur asked. "I forgot to ask you his name."

"According to his neighbors, his name was Edward Somer Joure," Snow replied. 

The king's face hid nothing of his despair. "Are you certain it was Edward Somer Joure?" he asked.

"I'm very sorry," David replied, "but yes, we're sure."

"He is... was Sir Gawain's brother-in-law. If you don't mind, I should be the one to tell him and his wife."

"Of course," Snow said.

With that, King Arthur left with his head bowed in mourning. 

"This is bad, David," Snow said. "This morning we thought this was just a looter, but now we have a knight killing healers? And why would a knight like Percival steal in the first place?"

"Arthur doesn't seem to think so, but magic could be a factor. I think we need to get Regina involved," David said.

"No, we need everybody," Snow said. "I know we want Belle and Blue to figure out how to restore our memories and Regina to find a way to break this new curse, but so far three people are dead and twelve more are injured, including the killer and Queen Guinevere, all in one day. People were afraid before, David, but now? They must be terrified. We need everyone either helping Doctor Whale or figuring out what the hell is going on."

"You think Emma was behind this," he said, finally speaking his mind.

"I don't know," Snow said. "But the Dark One manipulates people. It's possible that she cursed Percival for something he did in Camelot, but Killian said she was surprised and unhappy about the murders, which makes me think this isn't her at all."

"Or she was unhappy the investigation was underway. Maybe she didn't think we'd get this far and now we've somehow spoiled whatever plan she had," he said.

"David," she began. "Thinking the worst of anybody isn't like you, let alone our own daughter."

He replied, "That was before she cast a curse that brought all of Camelot to Storybrooke. Before she stole our memories. Before she threatened us and disappeared for a week! Before we failed and betrayed her in Camelot!"

His voice shook. He didn't realize how much he had been holding back from his wife, and now that it poured out of him, he saw the ugliness in it.

Snow came close and pulled him into an embrace, and he didn't resist because he was so shocked by his own words.

"I didn't mean... I just, I can't believe that we failed her so badly," he said quietly. "We are her parents. We are supposed to protect her."

"We don't know what happened," Snow said to him. "Maybe we didn't fail her, and if we did, I know it's not because we didn't try. And no matter what, whether we failed her or not, we're not going to give up on her."

"No, we're not," he replied.

He said the words with conviction, but he didn't believe them. He had no faith in his ability to defeat the Dark One, let alone save her. Why would she steal their memories then threaten to punish them for what they've done? How would not knowing what they've done make the punishment worse? The more he thought about it, the less it made sense. It was far more likely that she took their memories for the same reason Zelena did: to prevent them from stopping whatever sinister end game she had planned.

Because the villain always had a plan, and the best villains hid their goals with misdirects and distractions. Clearly Emma followed in the footsteps of Rumpelstiltskin.

"You're right, we need everyone's help," David said suddenly. "We'll call Robin and ask him to have his Merry Men act as a guard for our prisoner-patient, and everyone should meet at Gold's Shop."

 

Killian was out of his depth. He followed Swan, despite the fact that he had no idea what on earth they were doing. 

They started at the second crime scene. She asked him to hold up a Dreamcatcher while she blew sand into it, shook it and captured the events that transpired in the room.

When it started working, it reminded Killian of the flashing television screen that Emma had used to explain Netflix by demonstration. The Dreamcatcher didn't cover the whole room, so he had to move it to capture everything that had transpired. Apparently she had tuned it to replay the events of the crime, despite having no witnesses' memories to tap into. Once complete, she threw the Dreamcatcher up on the wall, and it replayed everything.

The scene was horrifying, even to a pirate, and the events were confusing: 

_The victim, Edward Somer Joure, came into the kitchen, laden with satchels and a large box. Any possible explanation for his bounty disappeared when he took care to stow the items in the back of the cabinets under the sink. When he left the kitchen, the hilt of a blade was visible on his belt._

"He must be some sort of knight," Killian commented as the Dreamcatcher showed nothing but the empty kitchen.

Emma said nothing. She fast-forwarded events until a person came into the room. 

_The person was an old man, spry and jovial, carrying a bag marked with the seal of Camelot. When he opened it, it was full of herbs and the tools used to prepare them._

_The old man meticulously crafted a brew. He set the kettle, and while he waited, he began to peek inside the cabinets searching until he found teacups._

_When the kettle was ready, he poured a cup, spilling some of the water on the floor and counter. He quickly added the herbs to the brew, and he opened the cabinet under the sink where the resident kept rags. It was then the old man saw the box._

_He removed it and discovered the other satchels behind it, all full of Camelot goods. He was shocked and frightened, and at first, it seemed that he might return it all and forget what he'd seen. But then he steeled himself and piled everything on the floor as if to confront the thief with all evidence in hand._

_Edward came in._

_"What are you doing with MY things?" Edward demanded._

_"Your things?" the old man asked. "These things belong to all of Camelot! What need do you have for a scythe? You've never reaped a day in your life!"_

_"Need? Need? This is not about what I need," Edward said, mocking the old man. His words were punctuated by coughing. "This is about what I deserve. All my life I've sacrificed for Camelot: money, luxury, land, goods. All for the love of our so-called kingdom. So what if I took a small pittance in return? The likes of you, Old Samuel Friar, will not take MY rewards, no matter how pitiful."_

_He wheezed as he drew his sword, and he attacked. Samuel dodged the sword and grabbed a scythe, parrying Edward's blows. Meanwhle, Edward's coughing and gasping intensified, and though he had a superior weapon and training, he finally crashed into the counter, hitting his head and dropping his sword before collapsing to the floor._

_Samuel took the blade and set it on the counter. His hands lingered on it, and his expression changed._

_He turned to Edward and smiled. Then he stomped on him, hard, and the man screamed as his bones broke. Edward struggled to stand, suffering kicks and punches, but as soon as he got his legs under him, he ran._

_That's when the old man hit him with the scythe, slicing him across the back. For twenty minutes, Old Samuel Friar pursued Edward around the kitchen, slashing him over and over again with the scythe, but never deep enough to mortally wound him. Finally, Edward fell to his knees, bleeding and barely able to breathe._

_"Don't kill me," Edward pleaded miserably. "Please, don't kill me. I beg you. I beg you - "_

_Samuel thrust the scythe into Edward's chest and watched him die._

_The old man then turned to the sword as if it were an old friend, picked it up, and kissed it. He left the kitchen covered in blood with a smile on his face._

"If he had left here like that, surely someone saw him," Killian said.

"Perhaps," Emma replied.

The events confused him, so he waited for her to elaborate. 

"Swan, what are you thinking?"

"I think the old man left with a powerful object," she replied. "All we need to do is retrace his steps."

She was so cold, as if the violence she just witnessed was fabricated. Her sole concern was the location of a magic object, and he feared the implications.

"I'll need to enchant your hook," she said. 

"Why on earth would you do that?" he asked. 

"We need something to lead us," she replied. "Best if it's attached."

Before he could respond, she grabbed his hook in both hands and a dark red glow spread over it.

"I'm quite fond of this hook, Swan."

As if to answer him, his left arm lifted of its own accord, and his hook began to pull him out of the kitchen. 

"Don't fight it," she said. 

"What if this thing tries to make me go through a bloody wall, Swan?" he asked. 

"Trust me," she said.

 

Emma couldn't help but watch Killian closely. At first he resisted, but after it brought them upstairs and into the bathroom without crashing through the walls, he relaxed. 

"Is this it?" he asked. "The old man isn't up here."

"He must've been here for some time," she replied. 

On a hunch, he pulled back the shower curtain and found a pile of bloody clothing, clearly Samuel's, and towels.

"Took his time cleaning up, didn't he?"

"You said he couldn't've left without someone noticing. That must've occurred to him, too," she said.

She waved her hand to fast-forward the hook's retracing enchantment, which dragged Killian down the hall and into the bedroom. She hid her smile; getting the pirate into a bedroom with her again was a personal goal, though under different circumstances.

She dismissed the lovely distraction for now. The old man had rummaged through the room and thrown clothing all around.

"He dressed himself in Edward's clothing," she said. 

"He must've been here for half an hour looking through garments, not to mention his leisurely bath."

"Over an hour," she said.

"With a dead body downstairs?" Killian asked. "Seems to me this man came here to treat a patient, then slew him and pillaged his home."

"The question is, where did he go next?"

"That's the question?" Killian asked, with disagreement in his voice.

"An old man on a house call becomes a vicious killer with no remorse, going to far as to take advantage of the murder he committed by making himself at home in the dead man's house," she summarized quickly. She continued in a cold and calculating manner. "That same man leaves this house dressed in his victim's clothes and armed with a sword. The only question worth asking is, where did he go next?"

"Because wherever he is, people are in danger," Killian said, cottoning on. "According to my hook, love, he stayed here."

She waved her hand, and the hook led them out of the house. 

"You're quiet," he remarked as they walked through town to the woods.

"So are you," she said. "Tell me about Henry."

"Swan?"

"You said you'd been staying with him the past week instead of on your ship or at Granny's. You must know how he is."

"For the record, I only stayed at Granny's when the Jolly Roger wasn't here," he replied. "And as for your boy... he's well, I suppose. He misses you."

"I miss him, too."

"You've not been by to see him."

"Regina put a protection spell on her house and my mother's loft."

"Swan, I might not have magic myself, but I know that a spell like that wouldn't keep you from your boy."

"Regina cast those spells to keep me out, but it protects him and Neal from real danger," she said. "And I won't put either of them at risk. Not for anything."

"Maybe you should talk to him," Killian suggested. 

"Regina stopped me the last time I tried."

"Have you tried one of your infuriating phone contraptions?"

"You think he'll speak with me if I call him?" she asked.

"Aye, he will."

"I - Killian!" she said.

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when she realized that they had hid treacherous terrain. The path wound around a steep cliff that led into the woods, but the hook drew Killian off the path and straight down, as if the old man had leapt down like a mountain goat. 

While her pirate had many talents, she doubted he had much experience as a sure-footed animal. Just as his foot neared the edge, she threw herself at him, wrapping both her arms around him as they tumbled off the cliff, and she teleported them both to the bottom, where they rolled across the grass before coming to a stop.

Killian laughed as they came to a stop, and something about it made her laugh as well.

"So, you're all right?" she asked as she helped him back to his feet. 

"Just bumps and bruises, love," he said. "Though it appears your enchantment didn't see that little cliff."

"It's following the old man."

"The old man fell down the cliff?" he asked.

"Must've jumped or stepped down," she replied. "Otherwise the enchantment would've directed us around it."

"Well, if an old man can walk down the side of a cliff, certainly a dashing pirate such as myself could as well," he said. "Should've let me astound you, Swan."

Her heart began to race. The conversation felt like how they used to talk, how they used to be together, and it elated her.

"You already do," she said quietly. 

On the pretense of hearing her properly, Killian pulled her close, and she closed the gap for a kiss.

But the hook yanked him away.

"Swan, is it just me, or does your enchantment have a mind of its own?" he said. "And very poor timing."

He held her hand and pulled her along behind him, and if the smile on his face was any indication, he didn't seem to mind nearly falling off the side of a cliff. 

Emma saw Leroy and Doc patrolling, so she removed the enchantment. When his arm dropped, he turned to her, surprised. 

"We haven't found him yet, Swan." 

"No, but if you're wandering around with an enchantment and a brunette, people will talk," she said. "Or dwarfs will at least."

"Didn't you remove your glamor?"

"Just for you. Everyone else sees me as Officer Margaret Jones."

"Jones?" he asked. "Curious choice of surname."

"First rule of an alias: pick a name you can remember," she replied causally. 

"Aye. But, if we're still investigating a grievous murder, wouldn't finding the killer be in our best interest?"

"We found him," she said. "Follow me."

All magic left a trace, a mark; one need only learn where to look. Dark magic had its own scent, and each cursed object had its own unique bouquet. All she had to do was follow it.

She led him to the remains of a crime scene. Those wounded had been removed from the area, and only body remained: Old Samuel Friar, who had a sword sticking out of his chest. She quickly placed a protection circle around the body and weapon to repel anyone who tired to touch it.

"Hey! You!" Leroy yelled as he and Doc raced over to them.

"What is it, dwarf?" Killian asked.

"It's Leroy," Leroy said. "The Prince gave me strict orders, nobody in or out until they remove the body."

"As I told you earlier this very day, the sheriff has asked for my assistance."

"Actually, it's all right, they seem to have this covered," Emma said. "Let's go see my fa - boss."

They walked away, and Killian waited until they were out of an earshot of preying dwarfs before he asked, "So we're leaving a possibly cured sword in the middle of a field to be guarded by dwarfs."

"Don't worry about it."

"Cursed objects that drive people to slaughter one another are among the things I consider worthy of my concern," Killian said.

"I put a barrier up to prevent anyone from touching it," she said. "No one can touch it until I remove the barrier."

"I've taken care of it," she said. "The body and cursed object can't be touched until I let down the protective circle."

"Did you did that without looking?" he asked.

His response made her smile. He could've leered at her for the magic she used. He could've pulled away from her once her enchantment nearly dropped him off a cliff. He could've asked her not to interfere with the investigation. But he hadn't. In fact, he had been remarkably relaxed around her.

Now all she had to do was destroy the responsible party or parties that dared terrorize her town.

 

Snow was having a very bad day, and the worst was how it ended in the Pawn Shop, crammed full of people: David, Belle, the Blue Fairy, Will Scarlet, Robin Hood, Regina, Ursula, Archie, Red, Mulan, Maleficent, Killian, and herself.

They covered the day's events. Three Camelot citizens dead, and twelve more recovering in the hospital. The fairies, assisted temporarily by Granny and Red, were doing all they could to help Whale and his team, which meant that Blue had to abandon her research on how to restore the memories of those who came from Camelot for the foreseeable future. Luckily, no other deaths were reported, but all twelve were in critical condition, including Queen Guinevere.

The Merry Men had taken the responsibility of watching Sir Percival and assisting the Knights of Camelot guard the Queen. The Dwarfs were spread thin, keeping watch on crime scenes and evidence. The Lost Boys, now a year older and adjusted to Storybrooke, petitioned to join the effort. 

David and Regina debated at length over using the Lost Boys, and they finally agreed on three points. One, they were only supposed to watch from high, protected positions. Two, they were not to engage anyone or thing, but instead report in any dangers or situations. Three, their work should remain completely secret from Camelot and Arthur.

The third requirement had been Snow's idea, based on the argument that the fewer people who knew about the Lost Boys, the safer their work would be.

"In case you idiots haven't noticed," Regina said. "We're running out of people. At some point, Camelot subjects must become involved. They're the largest group, and they have knights, healers, blacksmiths."

"I think we can trust Arthur," David said. "And, to be honest, even if we can't, Regina's right. We're running out of resources."

The night continued with squabbling, and it escalated when Killian showed them the Dreamcatcher. He and Belle spent ten minutes stopping and starting it to get a clear image of the sword, which gave everyone a small reprieve from the bickering. When they were done, Belle hung it over the counter for everyone to see. 

"So this is the sword we think is cursed?" David asked.

"According to the Dark One," Regina said.

"I know this sword," Mulan said. "Coreiseuse."

"And how exactly did you come to that?" Ursula asked.

"The hilt is gold and indigo. From the emblem there and the shape of the blade, I can tell it belonged to King Ban. Its name is Coreiseuse, the wrathful sword."

"So it is cursed?" Regina asked.

"Not when I last read about it," Mulan replied. "But it has been a long time since."

"King Ban?" Snow repeated. "That's Lancelot's father."

"I'll go and ask King Arthur about this sword, uh, Cor..." David said, fumbling the name. "Mulan, would you come with me?"

She nodded, and they left the shop. 

"And now we can discuss who is behind all this," Regina said. 

They wasted hours debating the motives of the Dark One only to end up back where they started: they had no idea what she could want from all this.

Snow actually screamed when the debate reignited at midnight.

"Ah, right then," Will Scarlet said. "I think it's fair to say we all could use a bit of shut eye. A rest. I say, we all go home. Start fresh in the morning."

"I must be sleep deprived because the twitchy thief is making sense," Maleficent said. 

"Oy! I'm scrappy not twitchy," Will protested. 

Regardless of the adjectives used to describe Will Scarlet, everyone agreed to leave and meet again tomorrow. Killian was the first out the door, so Snow pushed past Ursula and Archie to catch up. He was nearly around the corner when she came outside.

"Hook!" she shouted. "Wait!"

He stopped, but she could tell that he wasn't in much of a mood for talking.

As she got closer, he said, "Your majesty, I know you're unhappy that I've reached out to your daughter, but - "

"No," she interrupted. "The complete opposite. It's good that she's actually speaking to one of us."

"I know Henry's with you tonight, but I'm afraid if I stay with him, he'll ask me about his mother. And I have no idea as to what to say about her, so I'm staying at home for the night."

"The Jolly Roger?"

"Aye."

"I'm sure Henry will understand," she said. "Actually, the reason I came after you was David wanted you to have this."

She held out a badge.

"I appreciate the thought, but as I've said before, I'm a pirate, not a deputy," he replied.

"Actually, sheriff," Snow said. "Pirate or not, you've done a lot of good here working with Emma and David. It's time people see you. That and things were much better when we had two sheriffs."

"If this day has taught me anything, it's that I'm not her," he said. "I am certainly no substitute."

Snow put the badge in his hand and said, "Don't decide now. Think it over for a day. Sleep on it."

From the look on his face, he only accepted it so he could leave, but she sensed that he was close to embracing the person he had become, a pillar of Storybrooke.

"Give Henry my apologies in the morning," he said.

 

Mulan followed David and got into his pickup. She preferred to ride in back because it felt more like horseback riding, but in this realm, passengers only rode in the back when there was no where else to sit.

David drove, and for some time they rode in silence.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied automatically.

"We just had a discussion about whether or not your daughter is manipulating the man she loves as part of a master plot which, given her mantle as the Dark One, is likely evil," she said. "And you did not say much in her defense. We may not be especially close, but I know that that is not like you."

"A little over a week ago, at least for me, my daughter was the Savior of this town, a hero, our Sheriff. But today, she's the Dark One. She's cast a terrible curse to bring what I can only guess is all of Camelot here, and she erased our memories of the past three months. We went to Camelot to help her, to save her from becoming the Dark One. How can I defend her when I can't remember what happened? When she's not even talking to me? I don't want to think that my daughter has... I'll admit it, I'm not fine. I want to believe that Emma is still the woman that chose to take on the darkness to save Regina and this town. But if I act like that, if I make choices because I want to believe in her, it could cost everyone in Storybrooke everything."

Mulan said, "On the other hand, if you give up on Emma, lose faith in her completely, and she isn't too far gone yet, you could push her over the edge."

"I can't think about that," he replied. "I love my daughter, but other people's lives are at stake."

"People of the Gray Lands spoke of the Dark One," Mulan said.

"The Gray Lands?" he asked. 

"That's where I'm from, but outsiders often call it the Kingdom of the Firebird," she replied. "All the stories we heard about the Dark One made it clear that he was a powerful trickster, but there was nothing inherently evil about him."

"Dark One, dark magic," he said. "Evil is part of the job."

"No," she said. "Darkness and evil are not the same thing. Just like Light and good are not the same. I assumed you of all people understood that."

"What does that mean, me of all people?"

"You and Snow have watched Regina grow into this new person," she replied. "And there are times she does the right thing for the wrong reasons because she's dark, but that doesn't make her evil."

"So what are you saying?" he asked. "I should just forget that my daughter is the Dark One?"

"I am suggesting that you treat her like your daughter first," she replied. "Would your daughter leave a cursed object to hurt random innocent people?"

"No, she wouldn't," he replied. "Truth be told, it doesn't even sound like something the Dark One would do. Whenever Gold did something, it was always part of some plan."

"And this is an act of chaos," Mulan said. "Once word spreads about this, people may blame her, but you shouldn't. Not without proof."

 

It was one in the morning when Killian boarded the Jolly Roger. He had, for the past week, slept either in Emma's bed at the loft or in one of the guest bedrooms at Regina's, depending on where Henry was. It felt as if it had been a long time since he slept alone on the sea.

He went into his quarters and stripped to his skivvies. He took a few minutes to stretch. One downside to staying with others was the need to keep covered. He hadn't walked around with air on his skin in a week, and it was very refreshing.

"Maybe I should've knocked."

He spun around to see Emma standing in the doorframe. 

"Still know how to catch a man off-guard, Swan," he said. 

"I came to check up on you, make sure you weren't eaten alive by - "

"Your family and friends, love?" he asked, interrupting her. "Clearly that's not the case, though there were a few minutes where my safety was up for question."

She didn't reply, and the silence became increasingly awkward, at least for him. She seemed content to stare at him.

"Are you just going to stare at me all night, Swan?" he asked finally.

"No, I just wanted to see how you were," she repeated. Suddenly she was right on top of him, her face inches from his. "I need you to trust me, Killian."

"Well," he said as calmly as possible with his heart beating like a galloping horse, "today you showed me some part of the woman I love is still in there."

She touched his arm with her fingers, gentle and cautious. Her other hand wandered up his chest, but his attention remained focused on her face. She was earnest and open, warm, even, unlike before when her sole interest was seduction.

So he leaned in and kissed her. It started out quite chaste but quickly escalated. She pushed him back against a wall, and he returned in kind, lips and tongue and teeth. He hadn't prepared for the physical reaction, and his current attire hid nothing of it. 

This time, he pinned her against the wall, and she didn't resist him. If anything, she enjoyed it. He pulled back and began kissing her neck, her collar bone, her -

She pushed him on the bed and straddled him. It was only then that he realized she was still fully dressed.

And just like that, he remembered his initial reservations. She must've sensed something was amiss because she paused. 

"What's wrong?" she asked. 

"As much as I want to do this," he replied. "I can't. I can't be sure you're still the woman I fell in love with, and I won't betray her for some momentary satisfaction."

He moved across the bed and turned away from her. She followed him, and for a moment, he thought he'd have to leave the room. Instead, she kissed him on the cheek.

"I understand," she said quietly. "Sleep well, Killian."

She vanished, leaving him sweating, hard, and wanting. He collapsed into bed.

 

Mulan waited as David parked behind the hospital. He led her inside and then through the maze-like building. 

She had resided in villages, towns, and cities, and she had lived in everything from makeshift camps and hollow caves to palaces and castles. Yet the hospital in Storybrooke was the strangest place she ever walked. The walls and floors were painted white, and the lamps poured light from above, making it appear as if it were brighter inside than outside in the daylight. No matter the time of day, all its corridors echoed with hums, beeps, and all manner of odd noises.

In this realm, this was considered a place of healing, but she saw it as a place to avoid.

David stopped at a desk marked "Intensive Care Unit." The man who sat behind it was exceptionally tired.

"Can I help you?" the tired man asked. 

"I'm looking for King Arthur," David said. "Uh, sorry, I don't believe we've met. What's your name?"

"Kevin," he replied. "In our realm, I was a field medic in the last ogre war, or at least the last one in the Foxland."

She said, "I'm Mulan from the Gray Lands." 

"As long as we're doing introductions, I'm David, first a shepherd and later the Prince of the Red Kingdom," he said. "But in this land, I'm sheriff. Mulan and I need to speak with King Arthur, and he said he'd be here with his wife, Guinevere."

Kevin nodded, "Yes, King Arthur is in Intensive Care Unit 2 with Guinevere. If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer to go in and bring him out to you. People resting and all that."

"We will wait here," Mulan said. Once Kevin walked off, she said, "I've never heard of Foxland."

"Foxland is an ancient name for the Kingdom of Melodies," David replied. "Maurice, Belle's father, ruled it before the curse."

"Whose curse?"

"Uh... the first one, Regina's," David fumbled.

"Sheriff David? Mulan?" Kevin asked as he returned. "Please, follow me."

He led them down the hall to a room with small tables and kitchen appliances. King Arthur sat at the far table.

"My apologies for using the staff lounge, but it's the only place that's empty at the moment," Kevin said. "I'll be outside the door making sure no one comes in."

"Thank you, Kevin," Arthur replied. "David, it's good to see you again."

"I'm Mulan," she said.

"I've heard tales of your brave deeds, Mulan," Arthur said. "I believe we met before, but I don't imagine you're here to exchange social niceties."

She and David joined Arthur at the table.

"No, we're not," David said. "We came to ask you about a sword."

"Coreiseuse," Mulan said. "The wrathful sword of King Ban."

"Can you tell us anything about it?"

"Yes, I can tell you much about this blade, but why would you want to know?" Arthur asked.

"From what we can tell, it was present at two of the crime scenes," David replied. "We believe it may be a cursed object that causes anyone who holds it to... well, to do horrible things."

"Cursed?" King Arthur asked. "Hardly. King Ban pledged his loyalty to Camelot and his sword Coreiseuse to me, as did his brother King Bors, when I became king and united the Broken Kingdom. After his death, his wife Elaine presented that sword to me for his remembrance. It's no more cursed than Excalibur itself."

"You sound concerned," Mulan said.

"Naturally I am," Arthur replied with no sign of anger or sadness that she essentially accused him of lying. "That sword is not only an important part of Camelot's history, but also a great gift to me from one of my oldest allies and friends. To hear that it was plundered from our treasures and then, from what I understand, used in a heinous crime against our kingdom, is deeply concerning to me. Please, Coreiseuse must be returned to us."

"It will, soon," David said. "It's currently - "

Mulan interrupted, "Isn't it possible that the sword was cursed sometime during the three months you cannot remember?" 

King Arthur seemed ready to reply immediately, but he stopped before he said anything, as if the idea struck all the words from his head. 

"Your Highness?" David asked.

"I suppose anything is possible," he replied sadly. "Anything could have changed in those three months. It's not just our treasured history. For all I know, all of Camelot fell. What kind of king knows nothing of the state of his kingdom?"

"We will figure out the memory problem," David replied. "We've done it before. Don't forget Camelot is not alone."

"Thank you," he said. "I won't forget it. Before, you seemed to know where the sword was now. Perhaps I can assist you in determining if it has been cursed."

"We can leave that to the morning," David replied.

King Arthur began, "But if it is cursed, shouldn't we - "

Noise erupted around them, and Kevin quickly slipped into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kevin said. "But we need help."

Mulan stood and drew her sword, and David did likewise. Arthur, too, rose, but he didn't reach for his weapon.

"What's happening?" he asked. 

"I have no idea," Kevin replied. "I think we're under attack."

Mulan wasted no time with questions. She was first out the door and into the hallway, and David was right behind her. 

The halls of the intensive care unit had become a battlefield. Three of the Merry Men had taken arrows and retreated to Kevin's desk, nursing slash marks and other injuries. Two of the fairies who acted as nurses were collapsed on the floor, bleeding.

She and David checked them. They were too hurt to move but not in any mortal danger. Mulan carried one behind the desk.

"Who did this?" she asked the Merry Men.

"The Queen," one of them replied. "You must stop her. She was trying to kill the others in her unit."

Mulan wasn't sure what he meant by unit, but when David joined them with the other wounded fairy, she peeked at the situation in the corridor.

Down the hall, two Knights of Camelot battled a single man, dressed in a hospital gown and trousers. Though he had no armor on, he held his own, despite bleeding. Four bodies were in the immediate area, also Merry Men, though she couldn't tell if they were alive or dead. The fighting was fierce, but the knights prevented him from traversing the hall.

She glanced at the corridor in front of them and saw what the Merry Man had spoken of straightway. Guinevere, Queen of Camelot, wore nearly an entire suit of armor over her hospital attire, and she had a fine sword in her hand. She fought three people at once: a Merry Man, a Knight of Camelot, and a young girl who was probably the knight's squire. Like the man down the hall, she continued fighting, even though her blood ran freely under her armor. Mulan couldn't count the number of bodies surrounding her.

Guinevere was desperate to enter the room marked Intensive Care Unit. Inside, Mulan spotted Doctor Whale, several fairies, and two younger boys, possibly squires to other knights. They barricaded the doors to the room.

"Mulan, what's happening?" David asked.

She ducked down behind the desk and reported everything.

"The Queen was critically wounded," David said. "How could she be fighting?"

"It must be a curse," she replied. "She's laying siege to that room with the other wounded. I doubt that she would do that of her own accord."

"One of us needs to call for help," David said. "Merry Men, can you call for Regina, Robin, and most importantly, Mother Superior? The Blue Fairy may be the only one who can contain those two."

"What about them?" one of the Merry Men asked, pointing to the fairies. 

"They're wounded, they need Doctor Whale," David replied.

"Who is currently trapped," Mulan said. "Sheriff, I think what everyone here needs is a battle field healer."

"And luckily, we know where one is," David said. "I'll take care of that and catch up with you, Mulan."

She nodded and peered around the desk. Then she charged the Queen from behind. 

Guinevere kicked the knight, pushing him away, and turned just in time to catch Mulan's sword. 

"Attacking from behind?" the Queen asked. "What kind of coward are you?"

Their blades clashed together like thunder, and as with all Mulan's previous battles, the world around her disappeared. She vaguely recognized the movement of the Merry Man and squire checking on the Knight of Camelot and could hear the cacophony of war, but it was little more than a shadow crossing her path compared to the Guinevere and her blade.

If there was any doubt of a curse, Guinevere's eyes obliterated it, for they were clouded over with a mist of indigo and gold. Her body was bleeding, probably dying, and her face revealed reflected nothing but anger, wicked and sharp.

"This isn't you," Mulan said as she parried another strike. "Your name is Queen Guinevere of Camelot. You don't wish to harm your own subjects."

"They all deserve to die!" she shouted. "For the blood spilled from the Lands of Ban and Bors!"

Pain erupted at her left shoulder when Mulan wasn't fast enough. The Queen landed a slicing blow to her arm, but her armor protected her from the worst of it. Her assailant saw blood and, for a moment, smugly reveled in her victory, leaving her sword arm unprotected. Mulan responded with a thrust of her sword that hit its mark, nearly cutting off Guinevere's arm above the elbow.

The Queen dropped her blade as Mulan pulled hers back. As if planned, the Knight and squire took hold of the Queen while the Merry Man bounded her legs with several lengths of rope. After a few minutes of furious resistance, they tied her arms to her side.

"We need to stop the bleeding, or she'll die," Mulan said.

"My name is Sir Gawain. Is there a place without other patients?" the knight asked.   
Mulan led them to the lounge, and the squire went to the desk to get Kevin.

As they carried her inside, King Arthur stood, aghast. 

"What have they done to my Queen?" he demanded.

She wondered, briefly, why a king as noble and brave as Arthur had hidden himself in a room while a battle raged on outside, but there was no time to ask questions.

"We need to treat her immediately," Mulan said. "Help us restrain her while we remove this armor."

"You will not touch her!" Arthur said, drawing his sword.

"Your Majesty," Gawain said, "Mulan disarmed her with minimal harm. It was a feat of bravery and kindness that even I could not perform."

"This is your Queen!" Arthur shouted.

"I've got him, Sir Gawain," the squire said as she led Kevin into the room.

"Your Highness, there is still another out there attacking," Gawain said. "I am no healer. I should return to battle."

"I can't do this alone," Kevin said.

"You won't be alone," Mulan replied. "I will stay."

King Arthur was obviously torn between lashing out and saving his Queen. She couldn't tell if his hesitation was fear, mistrust, or a combination of both.

"I can help, too," the squire offered.

"What's you're name, girl?" Arthur asked.

"Rose, your Majesty."

"Rose, Squire of Gawain, today you are fulfilling a service that no Knight of Camelot has ever been entrusted with," Arthur said. "You will help your Queen survive this, will you not, Rose?"

"I will, your Highness."

Arthur took a moment to put his hand on her shoulder, and then he, Sir Gawain, and the Merry Man all returned to the hall, weapons at the ready.

"Where do we start?" Mulan asked Kevin.

 

After bringing the field medic to the desk, David joined the two knights battling the man down the hall. One of them had just lost his blade to the man in the hospital gown and resorted to his dagger.

"Sir Percival!" the swordless knight yelled. "Stop this!"

Sir Percival now had two long swords and easily bested David's strike as well as the one from still-armed knight. In a single, fluid motion, Sir Percival drove one of his swords through the other knight's side, forcing him to drop his dagger and collapse to the floor. 

"You've been put under a curse!" David said loudly. "You don't want to kill any of these people!"

"I will avenge the broken promise of Camelot and the blood spilled from the Lands of Ban and Bors!" Percival replied.

The cursed knight pushed them back, wildly wielding both his swords as he stepped over the body of the fallen man.

"I am Sir Wolfgang, a loyal servant to the Lands of Ban and Bors!" the other knight said as he parried the blows. "I would do anything to defend their honor, but this bloodshed is not honorable."

David couldn't be sure how long the three of them fought, assisted by the occasional arrow shot from behind the desk. Every time he saw an opening, his strike didn't land. He had been thrown back into the hallway wall more times than he could count, and his entire body ached. Slowly but surely, Percival gained ground on them, forcing them backwards.

It was likely only minutes later (though it felt like hours) that King Arthur, Sir Gawain, and an unwounded Merry Man joined them. Gawain and the Arthur set themselves on either side of the hallway's opening into the corridor, waiting to open the battle to three sides. The Merry Man, who David recognized as Alan-a-Dale, took aim with his recurve bow and fired until his quiver was empty. 

Before Percival reached the intersection, Blue and Regina appeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Blue waved a wand, and Percival became paralyzed with magic, and just like that, the fighting stopped.

"You must help the Queen," Gawain said. "She is under some manner of spell and needs medical care. She's in the room called Staff Lounge."

Doctor Whale and the fairies removed the barricade they put up and came out to assist with the injured. 

"Sheriff, I know we're spread thin as it is, but we need more people," Whale said. "New guards and anyone with any kind of medical training or ability to heal. We have about twenty medical doctors in Storybrooke, but only six of us are surgeons."

Regina said, "I can ask Robin to start looking tomorrow. I know the Merry Men have someone who trades in healing herbs. He probably knows everyone in the Healing Crafts around here."

"You should ask him now," David said.

"It's after one in the morning," Regina protested.

"And we can't keep everyone here alive until regular business hours," Whale said.

Regina rolled her eyes, but David knew the expression on her face. She was worried, and she wanted to help.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she said before she disappeared in a veil of purple smoke. 

"Blue can help for now," David said to Whale. "Do what you can, and I'll find any others who can lend a hand."

"Thank-" Whale began, but his words came to a screeching halt as the end of a dagger poked through his chest. 

Percival had broken free of Blue's magic and stabbed Whale in the back with the dagger no one had bothered to collect. Knowing he was no match for him, David drew his sword, and for a few moments, they fought as equals, even though his opponent had only a dagger.

David slipped in someone else's blood, and Percival stabbed him in the chest with the dagger, thankfully missing his heart. He did the only thing he could think of: he grabbed the dagger's hilt and kicked Percival away with the last of his strength, collapsing back but retaining the dagger. Unfortunately, the fall cost him his sword, and all he could do was retreat behind the desk.

He pulled out his gun, knowing it would likely be useless against the cursed Percival. Leaving the dagger in prevented blood loss, but the wound was dire. He tasted blood in his mouth as his breathing became labored in the few seconds he'd taken to regroup behind this desk. His courage failed him as his fear evolved into panic. He shared a heart with his true love, Snow White, and if he died, then half her heart would die with him. Would she, too, die, leaving their second baby an orphan? Or worse, would he take half of her with him, leaving her with their infant son but forever incapable of love? 

Thoughts went through his head like a whirlwind. Who would he call during an attack on a regrouping camp? If Percival were a true enemy rather than a cursed one, Regina could stop him with a fireball. Clearly Blue's magic was not enough to hold him, which meant that Tinker Bell's magic would likely fail, too. Whale might be dead, but if he still lived, he required the kind of healing that only came from one person in Storybrooke.

The Dark One.

"Emma Swan. Emma Swan. Emma Swan," David said. When she didn't appear, he said, "Emma, please. We need your help. You're the only one who can save us."

The world around him became dim as he went into shock. 

"Emma Swan, please save us," he whispered.

He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

 

Mulan, Rose, and Kevin had successfully removed the Queen's armor and restrained her with ropes, which became infinitely easier when she passed out from blood loss. 

Using his belt, Kevin applied a tourniquet on her arm and quickly checked her injuries from earlier that day. She had torn through all her stitches, and he explained that there wasn't enough time to do them over again. So he took drastic measures.

Mulan heated pieces of the armor over the open flame of the stovetop. They had one like it in their camp; Robin had called it a gas stove. Kevin removed any remnant of stiches from before, and once the metal was red hot, he cauterized the wounds.

The Queen stirred and cried out, but she was too weak to wake properly. 

"There's a lot of blood," Rose said. "It just started coming from her arm!"

Kevin turned to Mulan and said, "You must amputate her arm."

"How will that stop the bleeding?" she asked.

"Once the arm is gone, we can cauterize that. She can live with no arm," he said. "Assuming she survives at all."

"Wait!" someone yelled.

All three turned to the door to see Mother Superior. 

"Blue?" Mulan asked. 

"Yes, it's me," Blue replied. "I've trapped the cursed man. I believe I can help you as well."

She waved her wand and magic enclosed Genevieve.

"You can untie her now, she can't move," Blue said. "I have fairy dust, but for it to work, I require the person and the weapon that inflicted this injury."

Mulan handed her sword to Blue, and she blessed it with fairy dust before handing it back.

"What do I do?" Mulan asked.

"To heal her, you must deliver a blow to the wound," she replied. "But it must be with the intent of a healer, not a warrior. You must believe in yourself, believe that your weapon will heal her."

Mulan needed only to look at Kevin for inspiration. She delivered a blow to the Queen's gabbing wound. As soon as she pulled her sword back, the flesh began to mend itself, becoming whole once again. 

Kevin and Rose stepped away from Guinevere and began cleaning up the room. 

"I should check on the others," Blue said.

She was at the door when a medical knife hit her in the leg. Mulan turned to see that the Queen was on her feet. She had bested Blue's magic and impaled Kevin through the neck with a small squire's dagger. Rose was on the ground, trying to escape, but the Queen pulled the blade from the man who had just saved her life and advanced on the squire.

Mulan drew her sword and stepped in, pushing Guinevere back. Kevin somehow remained upright, clasping his hands to his neck, but blood spurted out of him, covering Mulan and the Queen alike.

"Rose, run!" she yelled. "Get Blue and get out of here!"

The squire did as ordered, and Mulan attempted to subdue the Queen again. Even with a superior weapon, she couldn't fend her off, so she fell back, to the door desperately hoping that reinforcements stood nearby.

The Queen gave her a glancing blow to her left leg as she turned to open the door. She barely made it out of the room, and when she did, she wished she hadn't.

Sir Percival had also broken free from Blue's magic, and bodies stretched out his wake. Mulan couldn't see David, but she spotted Blue and Rose as they ducked behind the desk. She gathered what strength she had left and stumbled toward them, sword at the ready.

She was no match for Percival, who merely threw her into the desk and turned to engage Sir Gawain. She saw the Queen come into the hall, armed with both a dagger and sword, and for a moment, she felt hopeless.

Then a veil of black smoke exploded in the hallway, and Emma Swan stood between the cursed knight and cursed queen. She was so calm, even cold, about the scene around her.

Emma snapped her fingers, and Percival became a grotesque statue of himself with a deranged expression on his face. When the Queen rushed her, she snapped her fingers again and petrified Queen Guinevere as she raised the sword over her head.

"It appears you were correct, Dad," Emma said. "You do need my help."

 

David woke to a burning sensation in his chest. 

It was three in the morning. Three Knights of Camelot, two Merry Men, and one battle medic were dead. As for the wounded, there were too many to count, including King Arthur, Blue, Mulan, and himself.

Emma healed Whale completely, but she didn't extend the same courtesy to anyone else. She mended part of David's wound after she removed the dagger, but it was just enough to keep him alive. She did likewise with the others who were in mortal danger, but she didn't restore them completely. In fact, she didn't bother to use magic on those with survivable wounds.

Then she disappeared.

Whale, though drained and exhausted, set up temporary treatment areas on the same floor so he could keep an eye on the intensive care unit patients as well. David, Arthur, Mulan, and Blue were set up in beds next to one another along the hall.

Once Arthur was well enough to speak, he demanded that they rally together and deal with the Dark One.

"What are you talking about?" David asked.

"The Dark One came here and killed Sir Percival and my wife. Who else has the power to curse a sword? Who else has reason to cause this kind of pain?" Arthur asked.

"They're not dead," David replied. "She's done this before. She's also undone it before. It's a sort of freezing thing or something."

"Oh yes, and tell me, sheriff, do you think the same woman who left her own father with a wound like that would bother reviving my wife?" he asked. "Unlikely, especially because she is the one who caused all this to begin with."

"She didn't," David replied.

"So she just happened to show up here?" Arthur asked.

"I summoned her!" David said loudly.

"You summoned the Dark One?" Blue asked skeptically.

"We needed help," he replied. "And she did help us. She saved all of us and Whale."

"But she didn't heal you completely," Mulan said. 

"Maybe she doesn't want to use that much Dark Magic," he suggested. "All of us will live and heal, but that's only because she stopped those two and gave us a chance."

"You're a fool," Arthur said. "Why should the Dark One fear her own dark magic?"

"Her name is Emma," he replied.

"First she cursed all of Camelot to this... this... place, and then she left some ill-formed curse to harm innocent people," Arthur said.

"You don't know that," he replied. "You don't know what happened in the past three months."

"Because your daughter took our memories!" Arthur said loudly. "How can you defend her to me?"

"I'm not defending anyone!" David said loudly. He took a breath and lowered his voice. "What I am saying is that we don't know with any kind of certainty who did this. Who cursed the sword? Who left it out in the open where anyone could find it?"

"What need do we have for questions when the answers are obvious?" Arthur asked.

"Is that how justice is handled in Camelot?" David asked. "You just assume you know the guilty part? Because Emma isn't the only one in Storybrooke with dark magic, and as far as we know, she doesn't have an axe to grind with Camelot. Whoever did this wanted to avenge the blood of the Lands of Ban and Bors."

King Arthur sat back in his bed. He replied, "Very well. This is your town. You know the people who live here and are best equipped to identify the responsible parties. But I need to know that you will not shy away of laying the blame on your daughter should it be her."

"Trust me, I won't," he replied.

 

Belle woke up with the sunrise. Her mother had taught her that light was precious in more ways than burning through oil or candles, so it was best to take every bit the sun offered.

She washed up, dressed, and drove to the shop to check on her husband. Or, rather, Rumpelstiltskin, since they hadn't had any time to discuss whether banishment was some variation on divorce.

Rumpel slept on, and his rose had only three petals remaining. 

Belle had read through everything she could find, even a large set of loose-leaf papers she discovered in the shop written in her handwriting, though she couldn't recall ever recording them. She decided she must've been looking for a cure while in Camelot, and though she couldn't remember, she did write down quite a lot of her research.

She scanned the pages again and paused at one that listed, as far as Belle could tell, every Dark One that was ever known to exist. The word "dagger" was written by each of the names, which she assumed meant they lost the power of the Dark One only because of death.

Rumpel survived it being separated from the Dark One and lived. She couldn't let him die now, not after she finally had a chance to be with the man without the darkness eating him from within.

And there were only three petals left. 

She made up her mind. She took the loose-leaf notes with her to the car. Killian had been careful not to mention where Emma lived, but that had been in a room full of hostile people. She had to believe that Emma was still on their side and that Killian would help persuade her to heal Rumpel. Or at least return the memories of whatever research she had done. 

Belle decided to check the docks first, as Snow and David woke later in the morning, and Regina's house was much further away. As she parked and left the car, she wondered when pirates woke when their ships were at harbor.

She stopped before she reached the dock's edge. Over a dozen knights, four on horseback, stood outside the Jolly Roger. Three dragged Killian off his ship wrapped in sheets and chains. 

Worried she might be seen, she ducked behind the wall that lead to the dock. What did Killian do to enrage Camelot? 

"Call the Dark One!" one of the mounted knights ordered. 

"You came onto my ship uninvited and then had the gall to drag me off it in chains for that?" Killian shouted back. "You want to speak to her, then summon her yourself!"

The knights knocked Killian to his knees. 

"Call to her, pirate! Or it will cost you your life!"

Belle froze. The Knights of Camelot weren't arresting Killian; they were using him to get to Emma. She couldn't hear what he said next to the mounted knight, but she heard him grunt when one of the knights struck him.

Then the mounted knight handed one of the others a sinister-looking blade. 

Belle snapped out of it. She swallowed hard and said, "Emma Swan, Emma Swan, Emma Swan. They've got Killian, and I don't know why."

"Didn't catch that last part," Emma said as she appeared. "Why are you on the ground?"

"Killian," Belle said, pointing. "They ordered him to summon you, and - "

Before she could finish, Emma disappeared. Belle tried to watch what happened next, but smoke and screams told her this was no place for her to wait unarmed. So she ran back to her car and drove off.

 

Being the Dark One had cost Emma much. Her family and friends stayed away from her. Her personality flaws became more pronounced, and her temper now had a fuse that was far too short.

That being said, becoming the Dark One had given Emma immortality and a tremendous amount of power, which meant that saving a loved one from the a dozen well-armed knights was well within her grasp. 

As soon as Belle said they'd taken Killian out to summon her, she went to him, knocking the knights on foot out of her way and causing the horses to rear up in her presence. All four were thrown from their steeds, and two ended up in the water. 

"It's the Dark One!" several people shouted.

Her only goal had been to cause enough chaos so that the Knights of Camelot would be distracted while she took their captive. She hadn't prepared for a soldier who kept his ground despite black smoke, a current of wind, and horses galloping in panic. Whoever the man was, he stood next to Killian and was armed with a scimitar, and just by looking at it she knew it had additional properties: magic, poison, or scarification. She couldn't be sure which. 

It all happened in a matter of seconds. She appeared in black smoke, scared the horses, and wrapped one arm around Killian. The soldier drove the scimitar deep into Killian's back, smiling at his success. 

With a single motion of her hand, she ripped the soldier's arm from his socket. When they disappeared, she left the appendage behind.


	3. The Memory Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Arthur enacts a plan to blackmail the Dark One into reviving his citizens. Emma frantically works to restore Killian's memories in order to repair their relationship so she can save him from a deadly poison with true love's kiss. Regina joins forces with Snow, David, and Tinker Bell in order to break the Scourge of Ban and protect King Arthur and the people of Camelot.

* * *

**The Bronze Mirror**  


Once upon a time, there was a Bronze Mirror. It was nothing like the looking glasses used widely today, which are fragile as glass and prone to cracks. No, the Bronze Mirror was made of solid metal, polished until it reflected the world around it, and sealed with a tongue of dragon's fire.

Before the mirror was made, the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Hidden Wonders desperately desired a daughter, and they had six sons before the Queen finally gave birth to twins: the first, a seventh son, and the second, their first and only princess. Their youngest prince was the man who crafted the Bronze Mirror.

The Kingdom of Hidden Wonders celebrated the twins for now the land had eight children of royal descent. The eldest son would one day become king, and the young princess would likewise become queen of another land. But as the royal children grew into adulthood, it became very clear that the six younger princes were not so lucky as their eldest brother or youngest sister. 

The second brother had a kind heart, a gentle hand, and a love of medicine. When he came of age, he swore off his title as prince and became a doctor, eventually earning the title of the Healer of the Kingdom. 

Likewise, the third, fourth, and fifth brothers all came of age, swore off their title royal titles, and became men who served their kingdom with honor, each according to his own gifts. The third brother, a man who knew every weapon under the sun, became Protector of the Kingdom and the head of the king's armies. The fourth brother, a man who dedicated himself to history and scholarship, became the Scribe of the Kingdom and preserved the history of the land. The fifth brother, whose soul had beauty beyond any other, became the Art Master of the Kingdom, composing music, painting, and sculpting masterpieces.

The seventh brother and his twin sister were fast approaching their coming of age, but unlike his elder brothers, the young prince had no talent. He could dance, sing, and even draw with some skill but found no joy in it. He could read and write but had no love of words. He could fight but had no passion for war. He could patch up the injured but had no heart for healing.

Months before his coming of age, he was riding home when his horse lost a shoe. He led the poor beast to the blacksmith, but the smith wasn't there. Unwilling to wait, the young prince went to the workshop, and there he discovered his one true talent: forging metal. The young prince not only shoed his horse without lessons or questions, he forged two magnificent swords, one short and one long, which he forever carried with him.

So when the young prince came of age, he foreswore his title, said goodbye to his sister and eldest brother, and became a blacksmith. Unlike his brothers, however, he took no great title of service to his kingdom, for though he had traveled to every kingdom for balls and weddings, he had never laid eyes on the land his brother ruled. So he became a traveling blacksmith, carrying the tools he needed while wandering the kingdom.

Many years later, he met a woman who lived as a hermit in the woods. As soon as he saw her, he loved her, but the more he pursued her heart, the more the Hermit hid herself.

One day, he asked her, "Fairest lady, what must I do to become your husband?"

She replied, "Give up your name and live with me in the woods, never knowing another soul."

He said, "This, then, I will do gladly."

The Hermit did not expect this response and became afraid, so she said, "Before you do this, you must show me that you love me, beyond any doubt."

"Tell me how, and I will surely do it," he replied.

She said, "Once I was a powerful enchantress, and many requested my help. But some who came to me sought terrible horrors from my magic. Many years ago, someone from another land came to me and demanded I aid in her vengeance. I refused, and she cursed me like this, fearing every person I meet, unable to leave this forest. This curse may only be undone when a man of high birth gives me a gift that can show me who I truly am."

"This, then, I will do for you, my lady," he replied.

First he returned with a fine looking glass framed with wood and amber from the same tree. The Hermit peered into it but saw no truth. 

Then the young man returned with an ancient mirror made with the strongest of magic, rumored to reveal the truth to whoever looked into it. But again, she peeked into the mirror and saw no truth.

Finally, he realized that his gift must come from his own hands. He had no means of making a true looking glass, but he had read about the mirrors of old, shined to the point of reflection. His hands could shape any metal, so he used all his money to buy the finest piece of bronze. He spent seven days and nights polishing the metal until it shone brightly. It is said that his blood, sweat, and tears touched that mirror as a testament to his True Love for the Fair Maiden of the Forest. Then he used a captured tongue of dragon's fire to seal the mirror so its shine would never fade.

This time, he presented the Hermit with the Bronze Mirror, and when she saw herself in the mirror, she saw not the covered face of a woman afraid and alone but her true face, smiling with love.

And from that day on, the Bronze Mirror was able to reflect the truth to anyone who looked into it.

The mirror changed hands many times. It was given as a gift, traded as goods, stolen by bandits, and, if legends be true, was even once lost at sea. Yet it always returned to one of the kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest.

* * *

 

King Arthur was furious.

The Dark One had petrified his wife and a Knight of the Round Table, and now he discovered that she had cast a protection spell over Old Samuel Friar and Coreiseuse. Anyone who attempted to get within arm's reach of either was thrown back by an invisible force.

The knights he sent at dawn returned to camp out of form. One of them led a horse with a knight's body across it.

"Who is that?" King Arthur asked.

"Sir Jacob, your Highness," one of his men said. 

"All our healers have been cut down," Arthur said. "You must take him to the hospital immediately."

The foot soldier obeyed, leading the horse and Sir Jacob away.

"Sir Daniel, am I correct in assuming that your mission was complete?" Arthur asked the leader of his expedition.

"No, your Highness," Daniel replied. "We had the pirate, but the Dark One appeared with smoke and rescued him. Sir Jacob lost an arm during the fray."

"Surely his injury is an indication that he hit his mark?"

"Sir Jacob stabbed the pirate with the scimitar."

"What?" Arthur asked. "His orders were to poison the Dark One, not some worthless pirate."

"So you did order the attack on one of our sheriffs," David said.

Arthur had been so wrapped up in besting the Dark One that he didn't notice the small group of outsiders approaching from behind. David, Snow, Robin, and Regina soon surrounded him. His soldiers circled around them armed with bows and swords, ready to attack. 

"This is not your concern," Arthur said. 

"Last night you assured me that you would allow me and my people to handle this," David said. "Imagine my surprise when I get a call this morning that your men had attacked Killian, a sheriff in this town."

"The man is a pirate!" Arthur replied.

"A pirate maybe, but he's also a good man," David said. "You had no right to order your men to attack him!"

"He is the key to the Dark One!" Arthur shouted. "And as for my rights, you may live in this land, but it is my people who have suffered at the Dark One's hand. Not only has she petrified my wife and Sir Percival, but she has also cast something over the cursed weapon so that no one may touch it."

"So what was your plan?" Regina asked. "You abduct someone she cares about and threaten to kill him if she doesn't do your will?"

"Seemed the most reasonable way to achieve my ends without the dagger," he replied.

"You must have a death wish," Regina said.

"We shall see. According to my men, that pirate was wounded with a blade tipped in poison. It was meant for the Dark One, but if she does actually care about him, the only way she can save his life is with an antidote that only I possess," he said. "And I will not yield it until she restores my wife, Sir Percival, Sir Jacob, and confesses to her crimes against Camelot." 

"You are willing to leverage a man's life to get what you want?" Snow asked.

"I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect my people!"

"Your Highness!" Griff shouted as he ran over. "The Dark One! The Dark One is here!"

 

Regina was not much of a people person. When it came to fools like King Arthur doing foolish things, like blackmailing the Dark One, she was more than happy to let the chips fall. Her companions, however, insisted that they save Killian from Arthur and Arthur from himself.

They followed Arthur's squire to the tent where the first murder had taken place, but The Dark One wasn't there. On the other hand, all ten guards, including the two dwarves, were on the ground, fast asleep, yet nothing else seemed disturbed.

"I saw one of the soldiers just... fall over," Griff explained. "So I ran over and saw The Dark One, just standing here with something sinister-looking in her hands."

"So you saw what she was doing?" Regina asked. "Describe it. I might be able to discern what kind of magic she was performing."

Griff shook his head. "Sorry, m'lady, I just... I saw her, knew who she was, and knew I was no match for her so I went for help."

"You ran away," Regina sneered.

"My squire did exactly the right thing," Arthur said.

"I'm not suggesting that he attempt to defeat the Dark One," Regina replied. "Just to watch what she did. Now we may never know what she was doing here."

"I think it's fairly obvious why the Dark One would return here," Arthur said. "She wants to cover up any evidence of her involvement so she can keep all of you blinded by your love for who she was!"

"Her name is Emma!" Snow yelled. 

After quite a lot of shouting, it became clear that Arthur had no interest in investigating the crime. He had already decided that the Dark One was the culprit and wasn't interested in talking or apparently even thinking about it. Regina pointed out, more than once, that Emma could've easily caused all the damage herself without the use of a cursed object, but she went unheard. 

So she, Robin, Snow, and David returned to the sheriff's station after failing to talk sense into the increasingly irate King Arthur. They found Belle, Red, Tinker Bell, and Lily waiting for them.

And Emma Swan.

"Isn't this something?" Regina asked.

"Arthur's men poisoned Killian, and the antidote for it doesn't exist in this realm," Emma said before anyone else could speak.

"Arthur told us," David said. 

"He has an antidote, but he won't give it to you or us until you take down that protection spell over the sword Coreiseuse and revive Percival and Guinevere," Snow said. "Emma, if you do what he asks, we can make sure Killian gets the antidote."

"No," Emma replied. 

The harshness of her voice sucked all the warmth out of the room.

"But Killian will die if you don't," Robin said.

"No, Killian will die without the antidote," Emma replied. "Something tells me you won't just let him die to spite me. Besides, the spell on Guinevere and Percival will only break when the curse that infected them has been broken."

"Then you need to remove your protection spell on Coreiseuse so we can break its curse," David said.

"No," Emma said coldly.

Regina noticed that she was composed and calm. Was she just feigning concern over the pirate? Was she sending them on a fool's errand to distract them from her true plans?

"Your lack of magical knowledge is showing, Emma," Regina said.

"How's that?" she replied.

"The fastest way to end the curse of a cursed object is to destroy it," Regina said to Emma. "Your protection spell prevents us from doing that."

She materialized a dreamcatcher and placed it on a large, leather-bound book that was on David's desk.

"This is all you need to end the Scourge of Ban," Emma explained. "The sword, the knight, and the queen all stay as they are in the meantime."

"Please, Emma, if you help us, we - " Snow began.

Emma interrupted, "The only one I'm interested in helping is Killian."

"Helping us is helping him," David said.

"Maybe, but first it's helping you," she replied. 

Then she vanished.

"Well... that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be," Red said.

"That's not Emma," Snow said. "Not really."

Regina had heard enough about the good Emma wrapped inside the evil Dark One shell. All this debate about how to get her back was fruitless. The only way to destroy the Dark One was to kill her, and whoever killed the Dark One became the Dark One. Magic always came at a price, and Emma Swan's choice to save Regina from the Darkness cost her everything.

But there was no way to undo it. 

So Regina ignored the repetitive debate that never went anywhere and focused on the dreamcatcher. She shook it, and it began to play. 

_The tent was empty, save for its supplies._

_A black teenager entered carrying a heavy bag. From it, he removed a beautiful sword and pressed it into his forearm so that he drew blood._

_He then leaned it against the storage rack, so no one who came into the tent would be able to miss it. With that, he drew his hood and collar up to conceal his face and left._

"Whoever that was is responsible for all the murdering and maiming?" Lily asked. 

"That's not possible," Belle said.

"You know him?" Red asked.

"His name is Louie. He's been in Storybrooke since the beginning. He was the first person to ask for a job at the library after I opened it. He's worked the late shift ever since," Belle replied. "He told me he was a mouse back in our land."

"That's a lie," Tinker Bell said. "Didn't the Dark One... Emma, I mean, didn't she say the Scourge of Ban?"

"Does that mean something to you?" David asked.

"A very long time ago, light magic was used to imbue some objects to balance the scales," Tinker Bell explained. "A way for those without voice to exact justice. They were called consecrated objects, but the difference between cursed and consecrated was little more than the magic used to create it. They both leave horrible destruction in their wake. Those with light magic eventually stopped trusting objects to exact justice."

"Thank you for that long and useless history of light magic," Regina said.

"The most common example was a warrior's weapon consecrated to exact justice if it ever inflicted harm on its own bloodline. When these objects were at work, they were called scourges," the fairy replied. "That young man cut himself with that blade. If he has any blood ties to the person or family that owns that sword, the magic within would activate and seek justice against those who harmed that family the most."

"Are you trying to tell us that all these deaths were caused by light magic?" Snow asked. "How is that possible?"

"Not by itself," Tinker Bell said. "One of the biggest problems with consecrated objects was that they were susceptible to contamination."

"Hang on, I read about this," Belle said. "Rumple had an entire book on contamination, ways to take objects marked by other magic - like blood magic - and taint them with dark magic."

"How does this help us save the pirate or anybody else?" Regina asked. "Cursed or concentrated, magic is behind this, and if one magic has been amplified or complicated by dark magic, it'll be even harder to overcome."

"It explains why Emma didn't just destroy the sword or break the curse herself," Belle said.

"You mean, besides the fact that she didn't want to?" Regina asked harshly. 

Belle replied, "Dark magic can't destroy a consecrated object."

"But we can deactivate it," Tinker Bell said. "We need to find this Louie. We'll need his help."

"So our current plan is to find a wayward librarian?" Regina asked.

 

* * *

**Sorcerer's Bane**  


Once upon a time there was a kingdom blessed by the love of a great sorcerer. He protected it as his home and hearth, guiding its leaders and blessing the soil. As time went on, the kingdom became a powerful one, and as power brings the cost of opponents, so did the kingdom earn enemies.

The sorcerer guided the rulers and their knights, leading them again and again to victory. It soon became known in all the realms that no army could take the kingdom so long as the sorcerer loved it.

And for a very, very long time, enemies of the land attempted to weave doubt into the sorcerer's heart so that his love would fade. Yet none succeeded. 

One day, a great enemy appeared. One who was cunning and wicked, and she knew that magic always came at a cost.

So she took a storm straight from a nightmare and set it to destroy all the lands of the kingdom. The sorcerer drew on all his strength and cast a spell to every edge of the land, casting all within into a deep sleep so that their dreams protected them and their homes from the storm.

The storm ended, as all nightmares do, and the kingdom survived without one tear or drop of blood. The spell the sorcerer had used was so strong that every ill the citizens of the kingdom abated, and for a generation, health and abundance bloomed.

But as the enemy knew, all magic came with a price. She could not stop the love the sorcerer had of the kingdom, so she increased it. In his desperation to save those he cared for, he cast a spell that had more power than he intended. Those ills he cured exacted a price in retribution, and ever since that storm passed, the land became home to a weed that always grew, even in the coldest of winters.

The weed did not provide sustenance, and it had no medicinal value. However, when ground into a fine powder and mixed with water, it became a terrible poison that no magic could heal. 

That was why, to this day, it is called Sorcerer's Bane.

 

A very, very long time after, some thirty-two years ago, there was a Good King who ruled one part of this same blessed kingdom. His brother likewise ruled over part of the land, for this kingdom had long ago broken into smaller lands.

Many sought to unite the kingdom, but none succeeded until one day, a knight with a pure heart reclaimed a powerful sword that could bring everyone together. Those lands that were under his reign could not be harmed by foes, treason, or even the ills of nature.

Not long after, a horrible plague spread through the lands of the Good King and his brother. They both rode to this new leader to pledge their swords and lands so that their people would be spared from the epidemic.

The Leader accepted their pledges, and immediately the illness disappeared, having no hold over the citizens of the blessed kingdom.

But the victory was short-lived. The plague was not a natural ill but instead the work of a king of a competing kingdom. The Evil King had made a deal with the Dark One to distract his enemies, the Good King and his brother, so that he could kidnap the Good King's nephews.

The Leader agreed to help the Good King and his brother rescue their family, and together they rode out beyond the protection of the blessed kingdom's borders to battle the forces of the Evil King.

The Good King was mortally wounded, and his brother died on the battlefield. The healers of the blessed kingdom failed them both, for the Evil King had ordered his troops to poison all their weapons with Sorcerer's Bane. 

The Good King could no longer fight, so his knights took him to a refuge in a nearby village. The family that lived there tended to his wounds in hopes that he would live long enough to see his wife once again. When a messenger arrived saying the Good Queen was near, the Good King ordered his knights to go out and escort her. They obeyed, and the family's daughter offered the Good King a mirror so he could prepare his face for his wife.

He graciously accepted it, and soon he held in his hand none other than the Bronze Mirror. The Good King had long heard of its gifts, so he stared into it, hoping to see his nephews rescued. 

Instead, he saw the Evil King and the Leader of the land standing together as his nephews were executed, thus ending the bloodline of the Good King and his brother.

So the Good King took hold of his sword and held it fast to his chest, saying, "This blade has long defended my family. One day, it will exact justice for us, punishing the man who betrayed me and my family and those under his charge that failed us as well."

And the sword glowed red with his rage, imbued with his vengeance, waiting for the time when it could balance the scales of justice.

* * *

 

Killian woke in a strange bed covered in sweat. His hook was gone, and he had only an undershirt and underwear on.

He was in a king-sized bed in a room with dark colors, somewhat blue in theme. There was a closet, two nightstands, and two large windows with views of the ocean. The room was both luxurious and simple. 

He focused on remembering. He went to sleep on the Jolly Roger. Someone boarded his ship while he slept. Knights. They came into his quarters, dragged him from his bed, and wrapped him in sheets and chains. He had little in the way of clothing, let alone weapons, but he fought back as best he could. He received several hard blows to the stomach for his trouble, and eventually they dragged him off his ship.

Things got fuzzy after that, but he remembered Swan coming to his rescue and a sharp, burning pain in his back.

Apparently, in the meantime, someone had removed his chains and sheets, dressed him, and put him to bed.

That someone must've been the Dark One.

Killian forced himself to get to his feet. Whenever he moved, he ached with radiating pain from his ribs. His face also hurt, and the wound on his back burned. Apparently, Emma hadn't magically healed him.

He left the bedroom for the hallway, which had six other doors before the stairwell. The adjacent door and the last door before the stairs were both left open, revealing bathrooms. All the others were shut.

Curiosity got the best of Killian, and he decided to poke around. He started with the door closest to him, which opened into a sort of sunroom or sitting room. It had a couch, lovely windows, and a rug laid out in the center. There was no bed. 

The next door led to a bedroom filled with comics, storybooks, and inkwells with quills. 'Henry's room,' Killian thought to himself. 

The last two rooms were much like Regina's guest rooms: elegant, functional, and a lacking a personal touch. He wondered if either was meant for her parents or if she believed she'd be having other guests over.

Suddenly, Killian felt unwell, like nausea setting in, and he stumbled back towards the room in which he woke. His legs became shaky, and he blundered into the wall just before the sunroom.

He hadn't bothered to close the door, and for the briefest of moments, he saw a sort of cage over the rug containing an enormous egg. He blinked, and it was gone. It was only then that he realized he was sweaty and shivering. His heart raced as he turned away, and he slipped and fell to his knees.

The hall filled with vines and branches, growing wildly. A small dragon - or perhaps a large lizard, Killian couldn't really be all that certain - began to creep up on him, hissing. He vaguely remembered the egg and wondered if it belonged to whatever was trying to eat him.

He closed his eyes for a few moments, and when he opened it, everything he saw was gone.

"Emma," he gasped.

"Killian?" Emma said, suddenly appearing at his side.

"What's happening to me?" he asked.

"The Knights of Camelot tried to force you to call to me," she replied. "One of them stabbed you with a scimitar tipped with Sorcerer's Bane. You should be asleep."

She carried him back to the bed. 

"This your room, Swan?" he asked.

"No, it's yours."

"You've got a big lizard or dragon, Swan. That egg... why do you have an egg?" he asked.

"Killian, look at me. The poison is giving you a high fever," she replied. "I want you to let me heal you."

"Let you? What, you need my permission?"

"The poison is called Sorcerer's Bane for a reason, Killian. The magic won't work unless you accept it."

Not entirely sure what she meant by that, he replied, "Get on with it, then."

She put her palms on him: one on his chest and the other on his forehead. The fever broke, and the pain in his ribs and back throbbed a few more times before disappearing. Only a mild stinging persisted. 

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Better," he replied, "save for the jellyfish sting on my back, which hasn't gone off."

"Let me see."

He obliged, and she ran her finger down his spine. All he could think was how cold her hands were. She abruptly turned him around and kissed him, and, being a gentleman, he kissed back. When the kiss broke apart, Emma immediately spun him around to look at his back.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this particular brand of courtship," he said casually.

"You're still poisoned," Emma said. "Magic can't cure Sorcerer's Bane."

"Except, I'm guessing, true love's kiss," he said cottoning on. "We both knew that wouldn't work, didn't we?"

"It has to work."

"I'm sure the Blue Fairy or that Whale doctor will have some sort of antidote, and if not, Belle will find us some book or use those magic boxes with the internet or email or whatever it is she does."

"Besides true love's kiss, the antidote for Sorcerer's Bane can only be found and harvested in Camelot."

There it was. He could hear her, the old Emma. She wasn't just worried; no, she was honestly concerned that he wouldn't survive. That meant two things. One, his Emma Swan was not yet gone. Two, his situation was dire.

"Ah, well, perhaps there's some around," he said casually.

"You need to love me again."

"I love Emma Swan," he said. "You've yet to prove to me that you are still her."

"Without true love's kiss, you will die today. You need to remember."

"And how do you expect me to do that, love? I'm guessing you have some idea, as you were the one to take my memories in the first place."

"I'm being serious," she said. 

"So am I."

She looked at him, and he could tell she saw straight through his bravado. She was scared, too, but that didn't make sense to him. Didn't she realize that they had already survived far worse scenarios?

Emma wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and put the other over his good hand.

"You need to think about us," she said. "Things we did together. Conversations we had."

The stinging in his back worsened, and he flinched, pulling himself away from her.

"Bloody hell! What was that?"

"The poison is near your spine," she replied. "It will get very bad before it kills you."

She reached out to take hold of him again, but he moved away from her. "What is the point of this, Swan?"

"I can't simply give you your memories of Camelot," she replied. "But my memories of the time we spent together there can jog yours. So first I need you to think about the things you remember. Then I can connect those memories with the ones you've lost."

"And just like that, true love?" he asked. "You seriously believe that this will work?"

"We had true love. You're only doubts come from what you've forgotten."

"Emma, I - "

She interrupted, "Either we do this, or I start torturing and killing people to get you the only antidote in this land. Arthur must have some, otherwise he'd never dare use this poison."

"I'm flattered, love, but if your goal was to prove to me that you are the same Emma I fell in love with, I'm afraid to say you've failed in that endeavor."

"Being the Dark One does nothing for my temper," she replied. "So am I slaying everyone in Camelot or staying here with you?"

"With that kind of request, who am I to refuse?" he replied with as much charm as he could muster.

She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck again, and a sense of dread settled in his stomach. As much as he enjoyed the idea that someone would pillage and burn to save him, the thought of sharing memories - intimate or otherwise - with a woman willing to slaughter all of Camelot shook his confidence.

"Don't be afraid," she said as she put her hand on his. "Just close your eyes and think about the first time we kissed. We were in Neverland..."

_They were in Neverland, taking a moment alone away from camp. She was beautiful._

_Emma said, "Please, you couldn't handle it."_

_"Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it," he whispered in reply._

_There was a moment where he was certain he'd lost his chance, but then she grabbed his collar and drew him into a spectacular kiss._

_"That was, um, a one-time thing," she said. "Don't follow me. Wait five minutes... go get some firewood or something."_

Killian panted as his eyes snapped open. He started in surprise when he saw that he was still sitting up in bed with Emma beside him.

"Bloody hell," he said.

"We can't stop."

"You told me to think about it. You didn't mention I'd be reliving every bloody moment!"

"And here I thought that was a pleasant recollection," she said. "Since you can't remember what happened in Camelot, the only way you can regain those memories is to, essentially, relive them."

"All right," he said. "What do I think about next?"

 

Lily was having a truly odd morning. During her dawn flight over Storybrooke, she discovered something unbelievable. She had asked her mother and even one of the fairies to investigate with her, but it seemed as if the way was shut to anyone with magic. So she returned to town to tell the sheriff only to find something even more preposterous had already happened that morning: King Arthur had gone after the Dark One.

She waited for the right moment, doing her best not to let her resentment of Charming and Snow rise to the surface. Though her hatred for them hadn't disappeared, it had steadily declined over the past three months as she learned more about the nature and price of magic.

That didn't make tolerating them any easier, but David was a better sheriff than the sneezing dwarf. So tolerate them she did.

Belle and Red went to find Louie the Librarian while Regina, Robin, and Tinker Bell agreed to assess the state of the hospital and the Camelot encampment. David agreed to wait at the sheriff's station for the others he called in.

Which meant the only person free to assist her was Snow White.

"I saw another dragon," she said to David and Snow. "Not my mom or me, but someone else. Someone new. And that's not even the thing... I was chasing after this new dragon trying to see who it is and I found something. My mom joined me, but she couldn't do anything. It's gotta be someone without magic."

"Why?" David asked.

"I can get you to the area to see what I mean, but there's some kind of anti-magic gizmo that won't let anyone with magic cross. Not me or my mom or the one fairy who came out to help us."

"I'll go," Snow said. 

"Mary Margaret, are you sure - " David began.

She interrupted, "I am. She needs help, and you need to stay here. If that's all right with you, Lily."

"For me? Sure. The real question is, are you okay with riding on the back of a dragon?" Lily asked.

 

Red volunteered to find Louie because she assumed he'd leave a coffee mug or sweater or a pen at the library. Once she had his scent, she could find a trail, and once she had a trail, she'd find him.

Unfortunately, Louie left no personal effects at work. Red sniffed a few of the books at his desk, but all she discovered was that he wore gloves when he handled library volumes. 

"Do you think he knew?" Red asked. "That he somehow planned to be impossible to track by someone like me?"

"Perhaps," Belle replied. "But if that's the case, then he shouldn't have given me his home address."

"You think it's real?"

"The phone number listed is a landline, and I've definitely reached him on it before."

Louie lived in an apartment not far from the library, so they walked there. After climbing six flights of the stairs, Belle knocked on the door numbered six three seven.

A young black man, about age twenty, answered the door. 

"Hello," he said. 

"We're looking for Louie Pauper. We thought this was his place," Red said.

"Yeah, sure, I'm his brother, Ben. Well, actually Benedict, but no one calls me that," he replied. "Is he okay?"

"We believe so," Belle replied. "We just wanted to talk with him. I'm actually surprised we've never met before. My name is Belle, Louie's... boss, I guess."

Ben smiled and stepped aside, "Belle? Louie has told me all about you. Won't you and your friend please come in?"

Red followed Belle inside the apartment. It smelled of soap-scrubbed wood and pasta, and there were two distinct human scents.

The space was a very small loft. One room above looked over the others, though it had been divided into two rooms by a makeshift wall. The bottom floor was a single, wide-open space except for the bathroom, which was a small, separate room in the corner. The bottom floor essentially served as a kitchen and living room. Red assumed they ate on the couch over the coffee table, as there was nowhere else to sit. The home was clean and well cared for, but the sparseness wasn't limited to the furniture. They had no television set, dish washer, or other appliances that were commonly found in Storybrooke. In fact, as far as Red could see, the only electrical appliance was a large lamp that barely lit the room. This was not a home of two brothers who chose to live a simple life for austerity's sake; this was the home of two siblings living in poverty. 

"I'm Red," she said. "Don't think we've met before."

"We haven't," he replied as they shook hands. "Please, sit."

Red and Belle both sat on the couch while Ben retrieved a small folding chair for himself. 

"It's just... I work at Granny's, and I think pretty much everyone in Storybrooke has eaten there at one point or another. Guess I'm surprised to see a new face is all. Nice to meet you."

"My brother and I don't socialized much. As far as we knew, no one else from our family or even our kingdom ended up in Storybrooke."

"Maybe you can help us," Belle said. "One of the things we wanted to ask your brother was who he was in our land. He told me that he was a mouse, but - "

"A mouse?" Ben interrupted. "That's... creative of him."

"So it's not true?" Red asked. "Because the tow truck driver, Billy, was a mouse. I'm sure there were others."

"There's no shame in being a mouse," he said. "But that makes it no less of a lie on my brother's part."

Belle, perceptive as always, said, "There's no shame in being a mouse or a werewolf or a bandit or even the Dark One. Whoever you and your brother were, there's no reason to hide it."

"Perhaps not," Ben said. "I have to ask you to forgive my brother's deception. His shame is not from who we were before the curse, but how we were forced to live during those cursed twenty-eight years. Who were we back in our land? That feels so long ago."

"I know that feeling," Red said. 

Ben continued, "Back then - before the curse - our land faced terrible danger and war. My brother and I began our training to be knights from the day we turned seven. We were to be men of honor who protected their king and their kingdom. We'd dedicated our lives to it with pride. One day, one of our father's enemies captured us and stranded us in a strange land. It must've been weeks before the Dark Curse hit, and when it did, I became an angsty emancipated teenager struggling to raise his kid brother. I did odd jobs, like raking leaves, shoveling snow, dog walking, landscaping. I am ashamed to say that I often stole from those who trusted me because if I didn't pay the rent, I'd lose my home and my brother. I suppose the curse thought that being seventeen for twenty-eight years wasn't quite punishment enough. I was supposed to be man of honor, living by a code and part of me knew that all along. I became very good at ignoring my conscience. One of the many reasons I've not been terribly social. Hard to shake hands and chat with people you spent years robbing."

"They'd all understand," Red said. "We were cursed."

"You've been replacing things that you stole, haven't you?" Belle asked, as if she read minds as well as books. "Together, you and your brother must make more than enough for the rent now."

"You have an apt mind," Ben said. "Yes, I have been making amends in my own way because I may yet see my father again, and I should want him to be proud of me, cursed or not. You see, in our land, I was called Bors the Younger, after my father, and my brother was Lionel. We were the sons of King Bors, who ruled lands in the Broken Kingdom. I suppose it is now rightfully called Camelot."

"So, you are from Camelot?" Red asked. "Are you related to a man called King Ban?"

"Yes, of course," Ben replied. "King Ban is my uncle. But why are you asking about him? From what I understand, all the lands that were sworn to Camelot under King Arthur were protected from the Dark Curse. All Dark Curses, actually."

"You mean by Cora?" Belle asked.

Red was just as confused by this question as Ben.

"Uh, Cora, Regina's mother, protected a large area of the Enchanted Forest from Regina's Dark Curse," Belle explained.

"You misunderstand," Ben said. "After King Arthur took the sword from the stone, he received a new prophecy that said great perils would spread through our realm, and the only protection from these ills was the power of Excalibur itself. As you can imagine, the specifics weren't widely shared, but so long as King Arthur kept the sword as Merlin instructed, Camelot and all the lands sworn to serve the kingdom would be protected. None that would harm Camelot could set foot inside or remain within. The strength of Excalibur would prevent war, treason, and all manner of natural ills: famine, drought, plague, and so on. That was why my father and uncle were so swift to pledge their lands to King Arthur. A terrible epidemic had struck our home, and no doctor or sorcerer could cure it."

"So your father didn't want to be ruled by King Arthur?" Red asked.

"Oh, no," Ben replied. "They had long been allies, but declaring loyalty to a single king was... complicated. The strength of Excalibur gave the people of the Lands of Ban and Bors hope for the first time that I could remember."

"Ben, this last curse brought over most, if not all, of Camelot," Belle said. "They've been here for over a week now. Haven't you noticed?"

Ben did not reply, but he didn't have to. The answer was written all over his face.

"You do know," Red said. 

"We spent a year in our realm before the Wicked Witch forced Snow to cast the second curse. Why didn't you and your brother return to Camelot?"

"We couldn't," Ben replied. "We tried, but... much had happened. Lancelot du Lac, a disgraced knight formerly of the Round Table, discovered that he was Lancelot of Benwick, son of Ban and Elaine, making him our cousin. During that year, he sought out Lionel and I, his family. The trouble was, Camelot learned of his Lancelot's identity, too, and for his sins, all our family left the kingdom in exile. So that year you speak of when you were sent home? My brother and I had no home. We wandered through strange kingdoms that whole year, searching for any remaining family we had, all the while hearing horrible rumors that our parents and aunt and uncle were long-since dead. And when we finally traveled to Camelot, we were arrested and exiled without trial. No one would say what happened to King Bors and Queen Evaine or King Ban and Queen Elaine. Who would hide the death of a king, a loyal knight, and a good man? Who would exile that man's family from their own kingdom for the mistake of a nephew that he never knew?"

"You mean King Arthur," Red said. "King Arthur did this to you."

Ben did not answer.

"Ben, have you done something to punish Arthur or Camelot?" Belle asked.

"I may not trust or respect Arthur," Ben said. "But I would never harm the people my father protected."

"What about your brother?" Red asked.

"Louie? No, he's... he's angry, yes, and he became furious when our history was emptied from every book in this realm, but - "

Belle interrupted, "What do you mean, emptied books?"

Ben seemed shocked by the question. "Surely, as the librarian, you must've noticed that books of history, heraldry, and lineage have no mention of Camelot or the Broken Kingdom. If not that, then what about the dozens of volumes about Camelot that have disappeared?"

"I... are you certain?" Belle asked. "I've read several volumes on Camelot, and I remember adding them to the card catalog and even reshelving them several times."

Ben went to the drawer in the coffee table and removed a sturdy, hand-made book with a leather cover. Red could tell it was the most expensive - or at least the most prized - thing that the brothers owned. 

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life," Ben replied. "Louie had done something called a Xerox of the pages that mapped our lineage. He made a kind of family album out of it, his most beloved possession."

He opened the book and flipped through the pages, which were comprised of affixed photographs and handwritten text. However, several pages had evident gaps, and many entries had missing phrases or words.

"See here?" Ben said, pointing to a page with a rough sketch of Lancelot. "See the caption for our cousin?"

Red leaned in to get a better look. The page read, "Lancelot du Lac, disgraced knight, ... our cousin."

"I wrote this entry," Ben said. "See all the blank space on this page? I remember filling it with information about a Knight of the Round Table."

"It must be the curse," Belle said. "It took the kingdom's written history, all of its, as well as our memories."

"Not mine or my brother's," Ben said.

"No, you weren't in Camelot, which was where the curse was cast. Only our memories were affected," Belle said. "I suppose that makes sense. She takes away the last three months and erases all written history here to prevent us from proper research."

"That can't be right. After I met Queen Guinevere I googled the Legend of King Arthur and read all about it," Red said.

"Perhaps the curse only affected the history of the real Camelot," Belle suggested. "What you found online would reflect the legends told of Camelot in this realm, which, as far as I know, are only stories." 

Red felt like they had been in Ben's apartment for a year uncovering one mystery only to find a dozen more. 

"Ben, you and your brother could be the only ones in Storybrooke who can help us with Camelot's history," Red said. "Will you help us?"

"She means, will you come with us?" Belle asked. "Help us find your brother and put a stop to whatever magic he's enacted. You might finally get answers, real answers, about what happened to your parents, your cousin, your whole kingdom."

Ben hesitated. He said, "I need a promise... a promise that my brother will be treated as innocent until there is some indication that he has done something wrong."

"Of course," Red said. "No one wants anyone else to get hurt."

 

"Think about the moment we reached Camelot," Emma said to Killian. "Arthur came with his knights and led us back to the city, and we entered the gates."

"I can't," he said. 

"You can," she replied. "Just focus. We were walking together. I had your hand in mine..."

 **Three months ago in Camelot...** Killian and Emma walked in a procession through the Gates of Camelot, a city made of finely wrought stone.

Once inside, King Arthur rode ahead to prepare the way properly, giving the new arrivals a few moments in private.

Snow pulled Killian and Emma aside. 

"Pretend you're married," Snow said.

"Did you hear that?" Emma asked Killian. "I've been hearing voices lately, figured I should check."

"Aye, love," Killian said. "I did hear what your mother said but that doesn't mean I understand it."

"Someone needs to be with her at all times, and if this place is as old-fashioned as it seems, it would be scandalous for you to be together alone at night on a walk or even alone in a room," Snow explained.

"So you want us to pretend we're man and wife?" Killian asked. "In case you haven't noticed, neither of us has rings."

"Right, because missing rings is the problem with this plan," David interjected. 

"Would you rather leave Emma alone for six hours a night?" Snow asked.

"Yes!" David replied forcefully.

"Mom's right," Emma said. "I shouldn't be alone, especially now that I don't sleep. If we're going to be in quarters and are expected to keep up appearances with medieval standards, this could be the only way. You can't think me being pretend-married to Killian is worse than me going dark."

"Fine," David said through gritted teeth. "But hurry up. They're coming back."

Killian took off his necklace and held it out to Emma. He said, "This ring was my father's, and now it's yours."

"This is a key ring that Neal stole for me from some convenience store because it had a swan on it," Emma said as she took hers off. "Now it's yours."

They quickly exchanged trinkets, but it felt oddly formal to him, especially with her parents standing beside them in rapt attention.

Arthur returned with a procession and asked what names should be used in the formal announcement of their arrival.

"Prince David and Princess Snow White," Snow said. "And this is my daughter and her husband - "

"Sir Jones and Lady Swan," David said, completing her sentence.

Killian's heart fluttered at the word 'husband' and began to race outright at David's words. He had dreamed of marrying Emma Swan. More than once he found himself pondering how he could propose to her without triggering her chronic fear of commitment. He never thought it would come at the suggestion of Snow and with the support of David... even a faux-marriage.

As they walked through the streets of Camelot and into the castle proper, the announcement echoed again and again:

"Welcome Sir Jones and Lady Swan!"

 **Today in Storybrooke...** Killian was back in the bedroom with the Dark One. He felt like he'd been asleep for a long time. His back hurt and smarted more than ever.

While he relived the memory, everything made sense. He had known, at the time, where he was and why he was there. But after the fact, contextual details were difficult to recall. He felt like his head was about to explode.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I thought this would give me my memories back."

"I can't do that, Killian," she replied. "I told you, I can give you back the memories we shared because I remember them, but - "

He interrupted, "No, no. For all I know, these are just some twisted dreams you're giving me to confuse me, like the false memories everyone had in Storybrooke when they were cursed."

He groaned when the stinging in his back pitched, and he doubled over in pain.

"Killian, I know you're angry and confused and in pain," she said. "But if you don't trust me, trust us, then this poison will kill you. No matter what you think, you can't believe that I'd want you to die."

He believed her. Whatever the Darkness had done to her when she became the Dark One, it hadn't managed to snuff out her love for him yet.

"Aye," he replied. "But then how do I know that what you're showing me is real and not some imagined event?"

"Because you can feel it," she said. "I could make false recollections if I tried, yes, but the emotions that you experience? They'd be a mere whisper in a false memory."

Having never been fully cursed before, he had no point of reference on the matter. He could only hope that Emma cared enough about his life to be honest with him.

"Very well," he said. "What next?"

 

Henry left school after he heard about Killian and went straight to the sheriff's station. In his storybook, after Rumpelstiltskin lost Belle, his story became even darker than before, and the last thing his mother needed now was more darkness in her life.

When he came in, David, Mulan, and the Blue Fairy were all working on resolving something called the Scourge of Ban. 

"Henry, why aren't you in class?" David asked.

"Because Hook's in trouble," he replied. "And I can help."

"We can use all the help we can get," Blue said to David before he could object. "Henry, Emma told your grandfather that they had everything they need to end the Scourge of Ban, even though she's put the cursed object that caused it under a protection spell."

"What does that have to do with it?" Henry asked.

"Destroying a cursed object ends the curse," Mulan replied. "But we can't do that because your mom's protecting it."

"Maybe she did it because destroying it wouldn't work," Henry replied.

"Or maybe she doesn't want the curse to end," David said.

"She might be the Dark One, but she's still my mom," Henry replied. "If it put me in danger, she'd stop it."

His words had a sobering effect on everyone.

"Hey, where'd this come from?" Henry asked as he patted his hand on the leather-bound book on David's desk.

"I dunno. Belle probably left it," David said.

Henry opened it. The title page was ripped out, so he turned to the table of contents, where the title was also strangely absent.

> I. A Good, Strong Heart  
>  II. The Bronze Mirror  
>  III. The White Stag  
>  IV. The Child who came from the Egg  
>  V. The First True Act of a King  
>  VI. The Changeling Cup  
>  VII. The Protection of the Sword  
>  VIII. Sorcerer's Bane

The seventh story, 'The Protection of the Sword,' had a rune or symbol by it that Henry didn't recognize. It looked like someone had sketched it in by hand.

"I don't think Belle left this," Henry said to the others.

Blue put down whatever she was working on and joined Henry.

"Looks like it's another storybook like yours," she said.

"But I've never read these before," he replied. "And look, there's no title anywhere. Like someone erased it."

"That is strange. Can I see it?"

He handed her the book, and it glowed for a moment. 

"Hang on," Henry said. "There are two new stories in this book!"

"I thought you said you haven't read any of them?"

"No, I mean two more just appeared when you touched it!" he replied, excited. "See the two that have no numbers? Those weren't there before."

Under 'The Bronze Mirror,' there was now a story entitled 'A Forsaken Trade,' and under 'The White Stag' there was 'Magus, Mage, and Fairy.'

"Huh," Blue said. "If what you're saying is true, than this book has hidden chapters."

"You think they appeared to you because you're a fairy?" Henry asked. 

"There's only one way to find out," she replied.

 

* * *

**A Forsaken Trade**  


Once upon a time, a Dark Mage came to the Kingdom of Hidden Wonders, for she had been wronged and wished vengeance upon her enemies. So she sought the aid of an Enchantress who alone possessed the power required for her plans.

But the Enchantress, upon hearing the Dark Mage's request, refused to take part in the forsaken trade of revenge, and so the Dark Mage cursed her that she may never help another person, until a man of high birth presented her with a gift that could reveal who she truly was. The Enchantress became a Hermit stuck in the forest, afraid of all she met.

After a very, very long time, a young man broke the curse by giving the Hermit the Bronze Mirror, returning her to the Enchantress that she was. The two abandoned the Bronze Mirror in the forest and left Kingdom of Hidden Wonders, and they traveled the realm together happily for the rest of their days.

But in all that time, the Dark Mage had not forgotten her vengeance. She retrieved the Bronze Mirror and journied to the King's Court, pretending to be a Sage from a distant land. With her knowledge and cunning, she soon became a trusted adviser.

The King's heart was heavy with regret, for he knew nothing of his youngest brother's fate. Upon seeing this, the Dark Mage layered the Bronze Mirror with an enchantment so that it could reveal truths both immediate and far away. Then she gave it to the King as a gift.

Each night, the King would look into the Bronze Mirror and see his youngest brother, and the heaviness of his heart lifted.

Not long after, a rival king rose against the kingdom, desiring its lands and its bounty. The King sought council from his Sage, and she told him that this rival king could not be reasoned with nor placated with treaties. The only way to protect the land was to destroy him.

As the Sage had given him both sound council and solace before, he accepted her words of war. He marshaled his armies and destroyed his rival, taking over the neighboring lands, though it cost many lives.

On the night of victory, the King peered into the Bronze Mirror, but he did not see his youngest brother. Instead, he witnessed a horde of invading ogres swarming his castle. He called the Sage, but she insisted that the mirror could only show him the truth. No sooner had the words left her mouth than a horrible commotion exploded in the ramparts.

"The ogres are attacking!"

The King ordered his knights and his soldiers to defend the castle, for there were only a dozen ogres. Though they were vile creatures more powerful than men, with such small numbers, even they couldn't hope to take the stronghold of his castle. 

The Royal Guard took the King and the Queen to the highest tower to protect them, and so the King's only recourse was to watch the battle in the mirror.

Though his soldiers fought bravely, the ogres broke in. The Bronze Mirror showed the Protector of the Kingdom being badly wounded but rescued by the Art Master and Scribe. They took him to the Healer of the Kingdom, who was frantically treating the injured.

The King smiled at the sight of his four brave brothers, each of his own skill and talent, fighting for their kingdom.

Then the Bronze Mirror showed him three ogres breaking down the door of the castle's hospital. He ordered his Royal Guard to follow him, and they raced to the medical wing. The King and his men cut down one ogre, but the other two were on a rampage.

The Art Master was wounded, so the Scribe came to his aid. With a single blow, one ogre killed both brothers, and the King howled in rage. The Royal Guard thronged the menacing beast and slew it.

The last ogre was the most terrible of all, and it advanced on the Healer and his patient, the Protector, who was too weak to fight. So, with all the strength he had left, the Protector of the Kingdom threw himself between the ogre and his brother, the Healer, and laid down his life. The King, not willing to lose another sibling, engaged the monster, but even with the aid of the Royal Guard, it slaughtered all but the King, who finally thrust his spear into the ogre's eye. But the creature fell on him, crushing him under its weight.

The Sage came to the dying King's side. He gave her the Bronze Mirror and begged her to save the Queen.

The Sage would not accept the mirror. 

She said, "My lord and king, all magic comes with a price. Today that price has been the blood of you and your brothers. See? The blood on this mirror? It's that of the greatest men in this kingdom."

The King looked at the Bronze Mirror. Its images were distorted by smeared blood. Believing the Dark Mage's words, the King cursed the Bronze Mirror with his dying breath so that it never again could reveal the truth. 

From that day onward, the Bronze Mirror instead showed all who dared look into it their worst imagined fears.

* * *

 

The Blue Fairy wasn't perfect, but she did her best to do the right thing, even when it hurt. 

But when she read 'The Forsaken Trade,' something deep inside her lurched. This story appeared because she touched the book, and she doubted that would've happen if just any fairy were here.

No, this story about a Dark Mage in the Kingdom of Hidden Wonders was connected to her somehow, but there were no names mentioned. The Dark Mage could be anyone with magic that the Blue Fairy helped defeat.

"So, what's the Kingdom of Hidden Wonders?" Henry asked. "Is that in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Yes," she replied. "It's also called the Kingdom of Concealed Dangers, and it's better known by its most recent name, Anatolia."

"Anatolia?" David asked. "King Midas's Kingdom?"

"Yes," Blue replied. "This storybook is like Henry's, but very different. There are no illustrations, and whoever wrote this used generic titles instead of names."

"Is that really all that odd?" David asked. "Different authors must use different styles of writing."

"It's more than that," Blue said quietly. "This story appeared when I held the book, and something about this Dark Mage. I can't remember ever facing anyone with that name or title, but I feel like I know who this person is."

"And you need names to jog your memory," David said. "Right, well, maybe some books on Anatolia mention this Dark Mage?"

Henry laughed. "Guys, this story is about a King and Queen of Anatolia who had eight children. Seven sons and one daughter. The youngest son and daughter were twins. I bet if we called Midas or Abigail and asked, they'd be able to tell us right off the top of their heads."

The Blue Fairy couldn't remember any time when Anatolia had anything like this, but she had lived a very long time. It was easy to forget things.

"What I don't understand is why this book is being so vague," Blue said. "No illustrations, no names, no title, hidden chapters... it's like this author was trying to be obscure on purpose."

"That might be the case," Belle said as she entered with Red and two others. 

"Belle?" Blue asked.

"We just found out that all the books in this realm that mention Camelot's history or lineage have disappeared or had all mention of Camelot erased," Belle explained. "Maybe whoever wrote that book obscured its contents in order to preserve it."

"I'm Ben, and this is my brother, Louie," one of them said. 

Introductions went quickly around the room, with the last being David.

"Can I see that book?" Louie asked. 

"Uh, sure," Henry replied.

Blue couldn't place Louie or Ben, but there was something familiar about them. She didn't have much time to think about it because Regina, Robin, and Will Scarlet came in with the kind of fury that demands attention.

"Blue, Tink sent me to tell ya that they need yer help," Will Scarlet said. "Hospital's pretty ghastly, to be honest, but I said I'd pass along the message."

Before Blue could reply, Regina started.

"We've got a problem," Regina said. "Arthur has lost his mind."

"I'm afraid she's quite right. The Lost Boys have been reporting to Little John, and it's not good," Robin said. "He's got the soldiers teaching everyone to fight with garden tools, kitchen utensils, that sort of thing. Children younger than Roland wielding hammers and the like."

"Uh, why?" David asked.

"To fight the Dark One," Regina said with enough contempt to last the year. "As if hammers and forks could stop her."

"It's not about that," Mulan said. "When my kingdom was at war, my village fell under siege. We couldn't escape because the enemy lines were all around us, and the only thing we could do was wait until we got an evacuation signal or until we were invaded. Misery is a good word for it. But one day, some of the injured soldiers started teaching us, the children, how to use half-staffs. It wasn't about teaching us to defend ourselves against trained warriors."

"What else would it be about?" Regina asked.

"Hope," Mulan replied. "I was four. For me, just having something to do everyday instead of waiting with dread and fear was a gift."

"Perhaps," Robin said, "but we've no idea if that's the case here. King Arthur has spread the word that the Dark One has targeted Camelot after trapping them in a foreign realm, and people are scared."

"And they should be," Red said.

Everyone looked at Red in surprise, even Regina.

"Arthur has an antidote that can cure Killian," Red explained. "And he's trying to blackmail Emma with it. That'd be a bad idea even if she wasn't the Dark One."

"Wait, if Arthur can save Killian, why aren't any of you with him, convincing him to do the right thing?" Henry asked. 

"Believe me, we tried," David said.

"Then try again!" Henry yelled. "Mom, if it was me that was poisoned, would you be here talking about what to do?"

Regina considered Henry's words and said, "No, I'd be stealing the antidote from Arthur with Robin's help."

"Oy, what about me?" Will asked.

"Ben, look at this," Louie said to his brother. "I told you."

They were both looking over the storybook Henry had been reading earlier.

"You got something?" David asked. 

"This book has a story about our father and uncle," Louie said. "See this one? It's called 'Sorcerer's Bane.' It doesn't name the kingdom or the people, but it's definitely about them. I've been trying to convince my brother that Arthur is not a true king. Maybe now you'll believe me."

Everyone gathered around the storybook, and it glowed. Blue couldn't tell whose touch triggered it, but if she had to guess, it was Regina. 

"Henry, is there another story?" Blue asked.

"Yeah, under 'A Good, Strong Heart' there's a story called 'The Loathly Worm.' Cool," Henry replied. 

"This book is magic?" Ben asked.

"Not exactly," Henry replied. 

"Wait, you said 'Sorcerer's Bane' was about your father and uncle," Blue said. "Tell me their names."

"Our father was King Bors and our uncle was King Ban," Ben replied. "Louie, this story says that our uncle saw our execution in a magic mirror."

"I'll be damned," Regina said. "Tinker Bell was right about the sword being a consecrated object. And the Dark One, of all people, pointed us in the right direction. Louie the Librarian here cut himself with the sword so it would seek justice. Didn't you, Louie?"

"Being abducted and exiled was one thing, but then being cursed and un-cursed and finding out what was left of our family was exiled from Camelot because of one cousin," Louie ranted. "You know, I could even live with that much. But this last curse stole our history, our family name, and... that sword just appeared in our apartment. I figured it was my only chance to make sure that King Arthur never got the chance to forget what he did to our family and the Lands of Ban and Bors."

Silence greeted these words, only to be broken by the phone ringing.

"Sheriff's office," Henry answered. "Oh, right, I'll tell her." He hung up and turned to Blue, "That was Whale. He says he needs you at the hospital."

"I should go," Blue said.

"Mulan, would you keep an eye on things here, including Henry?" David asked. 

"Absolutely."

"Good, because me, Robin, and Regina are gonna go have a little chat with Arthur. I think he's got some explaining to do."

 

"Think about the ice cave," Emma said to Killian.

He didn't have to try to hard. A night like that was hard to forget. There had been a town-wide blackout.

_David gave a very convincing pep-talk to Elsa over the walkie-talkie. After a few heartbeats that felt like an eternity, a hole melted through the wall of the ice cave. It was just large enough for someone to pass through._

_Relief washed over him as Emma stumbled through the opening. He wrapped his arms around her and began to lead her away, but her legs gave way. So he picked her up and carried her in his arms, holding her tightly as she shivered._

_"Let's get her home," David said._

_David and Elsa exchanged a few more words, but Killian wasn't really listening. He brought Emma to the squad car, and David went ahead to open the door for them._

_Killian sat in the back seat with her, vaguely aware that David and Elsa rode with them. As they drove, he steadied Emma's shaking, cursing the fact that he didn't have a jacket or blanket to keep her warm._

**Sometime recently in Camelot...** Killian struggled against the weight of the water that dragged at his clothes. Emma was in his arms, dressed in simple garments and a long, off-white cloak. She and everything she wore was soaking wet, and her skin was deathly pale. Her shivering pitched when they reached the safety of the lakeshore.

It took him a moment to realize how terrified he was. She spit up a great deal of water, and his fears abated.

"Emma, can you hear me?" he asked.

"You shouldn't have come," she replied.

"A bloody good thing I did, or you'd've drown, Swan."

"Killian, I... you should..." she stumbled through the words and couldn't get to her feet.

Her lips were turning blue. Hypothermia. She needed dry garments and a fire, but it wasn't safe here.

He carried her to the horse, which was tied to a tree not far from the shore. Using his free hand, he riffled through the saddlebag for a picnic blanket. Somehow he managed to unfold it on the ground under Emma so she wouldn't be caked with mud.

He emptied the saddlebag and found two long, dry cloths. He took off his cloak and draped it over the saddle.

"We need to get you out of these wet cloths, Swan," he said. "Emma? Can you hear me?"

"Killian, I..." she said as the cold overwhelmed her.

He didn't hesitate. He knelt behind her and pulled her into a sitting position to remove her long cloak. He enveloped her with the first towel and let her lie prone as he took off her pants, socks, and shoes. He used the second towel to dry her as best he could, but even her undergarments had been soaked through with freezing water.

There was nothing for it. He'd have to remove her under garments, too, and hope his long cloak would be enough for the ride home. He kept the first towel wrapped round her as he remove the last of her clothing.

"If you... wanted me naked... all you had to do was ask," Emma said through chattering teeth.

He smiled. Her witty banter was returning, which meant she was improving now that her waterlogged clothing wasn't sucking all the warmth from her skin. She even sat up of her own accord.

As he gathered his cloak, she used the second towel to bind her wet hair. 

She looked beautiful, disheveled and wearing nothing more than towels and his long cloak.

"You think you can hold on, Swan?" he asked.

"I'll d-d-do my best."

He mounted the horse and then helped her up so she could ride behind him. Her arms clasped him tightly, as if afraid she'd slip off at any moment.

"Hang on to me, Swan. I'll not fail you."

They rode together toward a dense clump of trees, but when they passed between two marked trees, they entered a small clearing, concealed from prying eyes with magic. There was a cabin, an attached stable, a garden, and a small well. 

Emma shivered against him, but she was much better. He helped her off the horse, and she was able to go into the cabin on her own as he walked the mare to her stall.

He returned to the cabin to find Emma curled up on the rug in front of the fire, surrounded by every blanket they had. She had discarded the towels and his cloak by the door.

"You all right, Swan?" he asked. 

"Still chilly," she replied.

He joined her on the floor and said, "Let's see if we can fix that, then."

Killian drew her into his lap and wrapped her in a blanket. Her left hand turned his face so she could stare into his eyes. His hand stroked down her flank toward her stomach

And they stayed there in front of the fireplace, entwined and warm, for a very, very long time. His mind wandered, but he couldn't think of a happier moment than this. 

At some point, she kissed him and her hands glided under his tunic. He responded with equal passion: lips and teeth and tongue. His hand caressed her cheek, then neck, then slide down to her chest, where her already-hardened nipples waited for his touch.

She hadn't bothered to redress since she came inside, and soon he, too, was disrobed in front of the fire.

Emma had the most remarkable and maddening ability to hold herself incredibly close yet be a little too far away. He was still sitting upright when she wrapped her thighs around his midsection and propped herself up on her knees. He had to reach up to kiss her, touch her, and all the while her hot, wet core pressed against him.

He pressed his lips into her neck, slowly descending to the spot right above her collarbone. She moaned as he sucked hard against her skin. She pushed him down so he was he prone on the floor with her kneeling over him.

His hand, now free, moved between them. He used the back of his knuckles to rub circles in her thighs, slowly moving up her leg until he reached her center. She leaned over him for a kiss with her hands everywhere, impatiently grinding down against his hand. 

He tossed blanket after blanket away as the beads of sweat built up between them, and then with one smooth motion, he flipped them. He trailed kisses down her chest to her stomach, but her hands found either side of his head and drew him back up into a kiss.

He pressed his forehead into hers, and her hips thrust up to meet his.

"Killian," she whispered, begging. 

"Will you have me, Swan?" he asked for what must've been the thousandth time.

"Get on with it, pirate," she replied, breathless.

Though his love had a penchant for putting up walls, she never shied away from physical intimacy with him, and for some reason, that made him love her even more.

Her lips met his, and she gently nipped at his lower lip. His legs parted hers, and her nails dug into his shoulders as he went deep. They both moaned. His heart raced as he thrust again and again, quickening the pace, with her matching each plunge with her own. 

Gasping for breath, he felt himself getting close. Emma's entire body tensed and her back arched. Her climax pushed him over the edge, throwing him into an orgasm that was so powerful he nearly collapsed over top of her.

They were left entwined, nude, and panting next to the tongues of flame burning low in the fireplace with a dozen blankets all around them.

He rolled onto his back, and she shifted so she was on her side with her head just below his. She took his hand, and as his heart rate gradually returned to normal, he felt a new kind of joy wash over him.

There wasn't a word for it. He was in a strange land - far from his ship as he'd ever been - dressing in odd attire while hiding away in a cabin in a craggy wood. Yet he felt the kind of hope that only came from being with family, safe and happy at home.

 

* * *

**The Loathly Worm**  


Once upon a time, there was a Dark Mage who sought revenge. She tried to recruit those with powerful magicks to punish those who wronged her, but her efforts proved fruitless.

It so happened that one day, while wandering alone with her thoughts, she found broken shell of a dragon's egg. As the eggshell contained tremendous magic, the Dark Mage collected the pieces before continuing on her way.

The Dark Mage held one of the broken pieces between her fingers as she walked, sensing the magic within. She so desired vengeance yet had no means to achieve it, and she wondered what it would take to create the most misery in those she hated.

And as if lightning had struck her, she had her answer: doubt. Her enemies rejected her and exiled her because of the strength of their beliefs, their conviction. If she could make them doubt themselves, doubt their friends, doubt their futures, then she could surely destroy everything they held dear.

The Dark Mage then realized that the broken piece of eggshell was now a finely carved pendent, and within that pendent was a creature imbued with the ability to cast doubt over the strongest of hearts. Bolstered by her success, she created many more.

The Dark Mage referred to her pendants as Dark Totems, and after she used one to corrupt the heart of a good person, the creature within became known as the Loathly Worm. 

The Loathly Worm always hatches from its Dark Totem when the wearer summons it with doubt. Once free of its shell, the Worm goes straight to the heart and takes root. And there, over time, it eats away all the good there, till none remains.

The Loathly Worm cripples those it afflicts with doubt and fear. Removing one is dangerous, nearly impossible, and even if extracted correctly, the damage it caused may never fully heal, even with time.

* * *

 

Killian opened his eyes, but he could still feel the joy of the last memory. It was like waking up on a cold morning while still warm under the covers.

Except for the stinging pain radiating down his spine. 

"Killian, are you all right?" Emma asked. 

He took her hand and pulled her in close, and she kissed him. With true love's kiss, the pain in his back began to recede, slowly dissipating. He sat back and saw Emma watching him intently.

She seemed more like herself than ever, but something felt wrong to him.

While he relived the memory, it was much like a dream, as he knew a thousand facts that made up the context of those moments without having to think about them directly. He had known, at the time, where he was and why he was there, yet what he remembered made little sense. The smaller facts also eluded him.

What was the name of the lake? Were they in Camelot, or somewhere else in the Enchanted Forest? Had they been in hiding for some reason? Why? Where did his horse come from? Had he ridden to the lake to save Emma?

And there it was. He specifically remembered being afraid that Emma would die. He was afraid when he pulled her out of the lake and when he saw her lips turn blue. That didn't make sense. As the Dark One, Emma was immortal, so no amount of water could cause her to drown and hypothermia couldn't truly harm her, either.

Doubt snuck in, and he wondered if Emma hadn't woven a tapestry of their best moments together into some dream scenario just to save his life. If she'd done that, then she'd lied to him, which meant she'd broken a promise to him as well. 

The pain redoubled so fiercely that Killian screamed.

"Killian!" Emma said. "Talk to me, what's happening?"

"I'm... sorry love," he replied weakly.

She took his head in her hands, gently, and said, "It's not your fault. I'm going to get you that antidote, so I need you to hold on, Killian. I love you."

Before he could reply, she vanished.

 

Regina dealt with more than her fair share of hardheaded royalty, but King Arthur's stubbornness rivaled that of Prince Charming. He refused to hear reason, no matter who it came from, which was why she, Robin, and David had been stuck in one of Camelot's meeting tents with Arthur for the last thirty minutes.

"You want me to hand over the only leverage I have on the Dark One?" Arthur asked. "I know she's your daughter, but you can't expect me to do that."

"Emma isn't the one your men poisoned, Killian is," David said. "And if your plan was to force her to end the curse, then all this was a waste of time. Emma can't undo the Scourge of Ban even if she wanted to, and the only way you'll get Percival and your wife back - "

"My wife is dead!" Arthur yelled. "And you ask me to save the love of the woman responsible?"

Finally, he showed his true colors. The king had hidden behind protecting Camelot and his supposed plan of blackmailing the Dark One to force her to remedy the situation, but his true motive was far simpler: revenge. 

"David told me that you ordered your men to poison the Dark One," Regina said. "But that's not true, is it, Arthur?"

"Of course it's true. Sorcerer's Bane might not kill the Dark One, but it can harm her."

"No," Regina said. "I sought revenge long enough to know it when I see it in another person. Maybe you ordered your men to poison Emma, but your real target was the pirate all along."

"First you ask me to help the Dark One, and now you suggest I'm lying. Is it any wander why I won't give you the antidote on the pretext of saving a town sheriff?" Arthur retorted. 

Over the past three years, Regina had grown into a different person, all at the behest of her son, Henry. She resolved herself to renounce her evil ways and evil itself, but on more than one occasion, a little of her old darkness went a very long way.

And this was definitely one of those occasions. 

"The sheriff came here because he wants to help you end the Scourge of Ban," Regina said. "We have two men at the station who may be able to settle the matter tonight. With your help, of course."

"Is this true?" Arthur asked David.

David began, "Yes, we - "

The moment that Arthur let his guard down, Regina struck. She drove her right hand into his chest and pulled out his heart. 

"Regina!" Robin protested.

Arthur drew his sword. 

"Stop!" Regina said, squeezing his heart. "Sheath your sword, Arthur."

She felt his spirit fighting back through his heart, but it wasn't enough. He put up his sword as ordered.

"Regina, you don't have to do this, we were getting through to him," David said. 

"Watch closely, Arthur. This is me saving your life," Regina said, ignoring David. "You will hand me the antidote that will save the pirate. Right now."

Arthur took off a long necklace that had a small blue vial at the end of it and passed it to Regina. If the look on his face was any indication, he was none too pleased by it.

Laughter filled the tent. 

The Dark One had joined them. 

"You know, I didn't expect someone to have beat me to this," Emma said. "Great minds think alike, Regina. If you don't mind, I'll take that."

"Emma, we - " David began.

"Not now, Dad," Emma interrupted. 

Regina held out the vial but pulled it back before Emma could take it. 

"I give you this, and you leave Arthur and his kingdom be," Regina said. "No retribution."

"Free Coreiseuse!" Arthur said. "At the very least, get her to free the damn sword so we can break the curse."

"Give me the vial, Regina."

"No retribution and free the cursed sword," she replied.

"See, at first I thought the no retribution thing would be the problem," Emma said. "But from the looks of that heart, it seems to me like Arthur here has plenty of punishment in store, no need for help from me. I planned to push back on the cursed sword, too, but in this moment, I'm ready to say, on your own head be it, Arthur. Coreiseuse is free and entirely your problem now."

Regina handed over the vial, and the Dark One vanished. 

It was only then that she noticed what Emma had been talking about. She had seen robust, red hearts and hearts with black spots. She had seen a few hearts that were as blank slates, and she had seen Rumpel's heart when it was nearly charred black. 

But Arthur's was different. About two-thirds of it had blackened, but there was also a kind of purple line within. She stared at it, and it moved like a worm in a rotten apple. 

"What did you do to me?" Arthur demanded. 

"Me?" Regina asked. "I pulled your heart out of your chest. Whatever else is in there with it is not my doing."

"Perhaps you should return it," Robin said.

As soon as his heart was returned, Arthur said, "Get out."

David said, "Arthur, please, we have two young people from your kingdom, Bors the Younger and Lionel, who can help us with the Scourge of Ban. They're at the station - "

"Bors and Lionel were executed over thirty years ago," Arthur interrupted. "Whoever says otherwise is a liar or an imposter or both. Now get out!"

 

Will Scarlet was a fool. Yes, he was also a thief, but his present circumstances made him feel more like the former than the latter.

He and Belle had a lot in common, so he didn't really think too hard about it when they first met. She was gorgeous and gave him the time of day, and he just ran with it, even though her husband or ex-husband as the Dark One and could destroy him with a thought.

Then all of a sudden, it hit him like a ton of bricks. She wasn't just some woman he fancied, she was the woman he was falling for. After they wound up in that weird alternate universe, where Will worked as an ill-fortuned deputy to a bad-tempered sheriff far, far away from everyone else, everything changed. 

Yeah, sure, her husband or ex-husband was dying. It made sense for her to check up on him, see if he was still breathing, that kind of thing, but then there was the whole coma thing. Suddenly, the bloke wasn't dying exactly. He could do, of course, but he could also wake up. Knowing her, there was only one decision she could make, wasn't there? She waited. He understood that.

It took him a while to accept that she wasn't waiting for him to die. She not only believed he would wake up but also desperately wanted him to. No matter how much of a prat he'd been to her, she waited for him to wake up. And that meant she wasn't ready to give up on her marriage. 

He didn't love her. Not yet. He didn't think he did, anyway. But he had been falling very fast in that general direction, and to be thrown from that course so suddenly... it gave him a kind of whiplash. The kind where one's innards feel like they're attempted to escape whenever one sees her.

So Will agreed to pitch in on the whole Scourge of Ban problem. Merry Men were getting injured and killed, and he didn't like the idea of being in the path of a curse like that. No thank you.

He hadn't realized Belle would be involved.

He kept his head down as best he could, but he spent just as much energy trying not to look at Belle as he did actually helping. 

"Oy, you, Ben, isn't it?" Will said.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name," Ben said.

"Will Scarlet. Nice to meet you and all that. Now, down to business. Your brother seemed pretty miffed over this whole history-erasing thing. Care to enlighten us about that?"

"Our family lived in Camelot since the beginning. We can trace our ancestry back to before the Broken Kingdom, before the lands even had a name," Ben said. "If you erase the history of Camelot, you erase that lineage as well."

"Couldn't you draw up a tree from memory?" Will asked.

"A what?"

"A tree. You know like, your mum's name, your dad's name, then a line and your name with your brothers, like that."

"You mean a drawn lineage?"

"Sure."

"I suppose I could, how far back?" Ben asked.

"Go to your grandparents, assuming you know them."

Ben started, and Will soon found himself needing another distraction from Belle. He decided staring at the cells was his best option.

Then a sword appeared in one of them in a puff of smoke.

"Anyone else see that?" he asked the room at large.

Mulan, Belle, Red, Henry, Louie, and Ben cast looks at Will, ranging from incredulous to concerned.

"That sword wasn't there a minute ago," he said. 

Another cloud of smoke appeared, and then Regina, Robin, and David were there.

David immediately locked the cell with the sword in it.

"Is that Coreiseuse?" Mulan asked.

"Whatever you do, don't touch it," Robin said.

"You got my mom to take the protection spell off of it?" Henry asked.

"We did," Regina replied. "But I'm not sure we should've."

"What do you mean?" Mulan asked. "To destroy the curse, we need to destroy the sword."

"I'll be the one to ask it: how?" Will asked. "Any blacksmith trying to melt it down needs to put his hands on it, doesn't he?"

Regina laughed. "Don't be stupid. No forge will be able to melt a sword like Coreiseuse."

"Dragon's fire," Belle said. "Cursed objects can be destroyed by dragon's fire."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," David said. "But I'll call Maleficent."

"What is wrong with you people?" Louie said. "You are not going to destroy that sword. It's been in my family for generations!"

"Maybe you should've thought about that before using it to enact a curse," Regina said.

"No, he's right, you can't destroy it," Henry said. "If this book is like my other storybook, then the stories in it are real. That means that King Ban tapped into light magic to give the sword its power."

"Tinker Bell already explained about consecrated objects," Regina said to Henry. "But five people have died because of that sword."

"More like ten now, isn't it?" Will asked.

"I haven't been keeping count," Regina replied. "And if Emma was telling the truth about her spell on Percival and Guinevere breaking along with the curse, then we need to do it. Now. Arthur's not handling any of this very well."

"You want to erase a sacred part of my family legacy in the name of a false king?" Louie said. "Then get on with it, but be warned. The boy is right. You destroy that sword, and you'll never be free of the Scourge of Ban."

"Louie, you didn't," Ben said.

"Louie... my name was Lionel!" Louie shouted. "The only way for the Scourge of Ban to be ended is for justice to be paid. Arthur betrayed my family, and now he must pay the price."

"You don't know that," Henry said. 

"It's right there in your book!"

"This book said you and your brother were executed," Henry replied.

"Because as far as anyone in Camelot knew, we were dead," Louie said. "That doesn't mean the rest of it is untrue."

"Did you bother reading any of the other stories?" Henry asked. "Your uncle used the Bronze Mirror and saw Arthur betraying him - "

"And the Bronze Mirror can only show truth," Louie interrupted. "That is widely known in our realm."

"But this book has another story about how a Dark Mage corrupted the mirror," Henry said. "Long before your uncle used it. It didn't show him the truth. It showed him what he most feared."

"If that's true, then how did my uncle consecrate his sword?" Louie asked. "That's not the kind of thing that just happens because you ask politely for it. It only works when a great injustice falls on a good person, and who did the curse go after? The Healers of Camelot, the knights, and the King and Queen. My father and uncle didn't die in battle, they were betrayed by those people in Camelot."

"And what about my men?" Robin asked. "We weren't even from Camelot, but my men stood guard over the injured in the hospital. Two of them died because of it. How had they wronged you?"

Louie backed off a bit, but he replied, "I am sorry that happened, but Arthur hides behind his title of king, and my brother and I are dead to all of Camelot. It was the only way."

"No it wasn't," Ben said. 

"Louie, Ben," David said. "Whatever has happened has happened, but hurting more people won't make anything better. If destroying the sword won't stop this, tell us what will."

"Justice," Belle said quietly. "It's the only way."

"Sorry, are you suggesting that we kill King Arthur?" Will asked. "Doesn't much sound like your idea, does it?"

"It's not," Belle replied. "Killing isn't necessarily justice."

"Then what do we do?" Red asked.

"I think that's very clear," David replied. "We need a trial."

Ben had finished his family tree diagram before all the confusion, and Will casually pocketed it when the debate about a trial began in earnest.

He hadn't done it properly, though, as Mulan noticed.

"Anything in particular you plan to do with that?" she asked.

"Not really."

"Then give it to me."

"Why would I do that?"

Mulan said, "You wouldn't have to if you came with me."

Will considered the options. He could stay here and listen to some boring chatter about legal authority across realms while trying not to stare at Belle, or he could be off with the Merry Man most skilled with a sword.

"Right, then, but mind you not to disturb this lot as we go," he said.

 

Emma Swan was having a very, very bad day. 

For one beautiful moment, she had reached Killian, and then it was gone. The only positive news from today was that she now knew she could win him back, given time.

She returned with the antidote just in time. Killian was writhing in pain on the bed, in too much pain to scream.

Emma remembered that she promised not to retaliate against Arthur, but seeing the man she loved flailing in agony stimulated a special kind of hatred that inspired inventive tortures. 

"Killian, sit up," she said. 

He didn't respond, so she used magic to paralyze him.

"Don't worry, it's temporary," she said. "Drink this."

She put the vial to his lips, and he drank. She waved her hand and undid the paralysis spell. The pain must've passed, but he was lethargic and listless. 

"Emma..." he whispered.

Everything stopped. His heart, his lungs just... stopped. She reached out to him, but something blasted her away. The antidote to Sorcerer's Bane amplified its anti-magic affects, and in the process of curing him, killed him.

She was too late.

The words escaped from her mind and mouth faster than she could consider them. 

"Killian," she said. "You can't die. Not like this. You have to live. That was my plan, we both live. We get on your ship and we sail out of this town, and once we're over the town line, we enter a Land without Magic. That was the whole reason Baelfire first came here. So he and his dad could live like normal people. We can live like normal people, Killian. Don't die on me!"

Two harsh coughs sounded, followed by gasping breath.

"Killian?" Emma asked. "Killian!"

She put her hand on his forehead, then his cheek. She felt it: the Sorcerer's Bane was out of his system.

"Haven't I mentioned it, Swan?" he asked. "I'm a survivor, love."

 

Arthur realized his mistake when it was too late.

Regina disappeared Coreiseuse on the pretext of keeping it safe until they figured out how to destroy it. The last thing he wanted to do was to deal with her again, but how else would he gain access to the sword to destroy it?

At the very least, however, they were able to move the body of Old Samuel Friar so it could be prepared for burial. Two farmers, Kitt and Maisey, took it to the undertaker's tent.

Arthur ordered his Scribes to find a way to destroy the sword without touching it, and he ordered any Camelot citizen with the most rudimentary understanding of medicine to go to the hospital. If today taught him anything, it was that he couldn't trust the people of Storybrooke, and he wouldn't leave the lives of Camelot citizens in the hands of their so-called doctors. His people would be there, watching over them, making sure the healers of this land did their job, and intervening if necessary.

Before she was injured, Guinevere asked Arthur what he would do if they became trapped in this land. He didn't want to consider it, but if they did, the only recourse would be to build a new kingdom here. He wondered what this realm was like outside of Storybrooke.

No matter. If they had no way home, then this would be his kingdom, and no kingdom would survive under the rule of David, Snow, and Regina. It was a wonder Storybrooke stood so long with the likes of them in charge. 

No, this land needed a real ruler, a true king, and he was the only real candidate. He could take the land by force, as the citizens of Camelot comprised the largest group in the land, but he couldn't hope to march to victory against the Dark One. Not without a plan. He didn't need to go to war to win the crown in this land; for that, all he required was the right villain to defeat. Once Emma Swan was dead or under his control, he would be the hero that protected the realm, and who would question his lead then?

"King Arthur!" Griff yelled. "Kitt's been cursed!"

But Regina took the sword long before Kitt and Maisey came for the body. How could he be cursed if he didn't touch the sword?

"What about Maisey?" he asked.

"She's fine, as far as anyone can tell," Griff replied. "She saved the undertaker from Kitt. What do we do?"

"Tell the soldiers to bind Kitt in chains," Arthur replied. "Do the same with Maisey, just as a precaution. Then send out the Herald. I want every soldier and knight ready to march in thirty minutes."

"Yes, your highness!" Griff said before he ran off.

 

Arthur rode his best stallion at the head of The Knights of the Round Table, who led the march through Storybrooke, followed by the Knights of Camelot, and then the soldiers.

Regina had no qualms ripping a man's heart out of his chest, but Arthur doubted she'd survive against hundreds of soldiers. 

As they reached town, the people of Storybrooke retreated. Some shut themselves in their homes. Others ran for the woods, and a handful banded together inside the restaurants or stores. But none dared to stand in his way.

By the time they reached the sheriff's station, David and Regina were already waiting outside of it.

"This is quite a show," Regina said. "Are you planning a parade?"

"Don't speak to me that way," Arthur replied. "Camelot demands that we destroy Coreiseuse right now."

"That won't work," David said. 

"Bring them forward!" Arthur yelled to his chief guard.

Maisey, still unaffected by the curse, was dragged to him, along with Kitt, who was in irons and gagged because he wouldn't stop ranting. 

"These two handled the remains of Old Samuel Friar," Arthur explained. "Long after you took the sword. As you can see, Kitt has been touched by this curse. It's time to end it! We demand that you destroy the cursed sword Coreiseuse without any further delay!"

He smiled. Soon this kingdom would be his.


	4. Hope and Love in a Time of Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow and Lily investigate a mysterious force deep in the woods, and Ursula acts on information she receives in a text message from Killian that could help uncover the Dark One's plans. When Arthur marches on Storybrooke to demand an end to the Scourge of Ban, he comes face to face with two long-lost citizens of Camelot.

David had defeated many foes - ghastly villains bent on revenge or desperate for power - but never before had he faced someone like King Arthur.

"We demand that you destroy the cursed sword Coreiseuse without any further delay!" Arthur announced.

His words resonated with David. Had he come alone on foot, they would've been just as powerful. Some things don't need an army to make them important.

In a little over a week's time, Arthur had lost his home, his wife, many friends, and three months of his memory, yet when he lost his sway over Emma, he marshaled his forces and marched into battle. Not for glory or power or revenge but to save his people.

Hours ago, David questioned everything about King Arthur: his heart, his mind, and his leadership. He saw the man at his worst, lashing out with blackmail and revenge, but now David saw something else. The man speaking was not a king with a rotted heart but a king battling grief.

Recent events taught him that not all enemies were villains, but the truth was, he should've learned that lesson a very long time ago. He and Snow had once allowed fear to influence their choices, and in so doing, they tore apart a family and exiled a newborn to another land. Their intention - to protect their child - had been so pure, but their actions had been anything but. The worst part was how easy it was to make that kind of mistake. David and Snow had done it out of fear. Arthur did it out of grief.

Regina, of course, was callous toward all this. He could tell just by the look on her face.

"This one seems fine," Regina said to Arthur, pointing to the restrained woman.

"My name is Maisey," the woman replied.

"Maisey here wasn't affected by the Scourge of Ban," Regina said.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Arthur asked. "If one of us is cursed, then all of us are cursed! It needs end!"

"Did it ever occur to you that the reason Maisy wasn't cursed could be key to resolving this mess?" Regina asked. "That is what you want, isn't it, King Arthur? To end the Scourge of Ban?"

"My family hails from the land of Ban," Maisey said.

"The Lands of Ban and Bors have been part of Camelot for a very long time," Arthur said. "What difference does it make now?"

"It makes a great deal of difference!" Louie shouted as he came outside.

The two brothers had promised they'd stay inside, but that obviously hadn't worked out. Louie shoved David out of the way to get closer to the King, but Ben managed to get in front of his brother and stopped him with his arm.

Arthur stared at the two young men with confusion and surprise written across his face.

Ben spoke, "In this land, we are called Ben and Louie Pauper, but in our land, we - "

A cataclysmic roar interrupted him, shattering the glass windows on all of main street. Everyone ducked and grabbed their ears to protect them from the deafening boom. Incoherent shouting erupted in the ranks.

Darkness blanketed them, and David looked up to see something enormous blotting out the sun.

A dragon circled overhead.

 

* * *

**Six hours earlier...**

* * *

 

Snow White had never ridden on the back of a dragon, and after the initial terror that came from being propelled through the air by a giant, winged reptile faded away, it was quite an exhilarating experience.

From up high, Storybrooke appeared enormous, even endless, but as they neared the far edge of town deep in the woods, she spotted an area covered in darkness and mist, as if the daylight couldn't pass through it. The more she looked at it, the more her eyes smarted.

Lily landed in a clearing about a mile from the anomaly, and transformed back into herself.

"There were clearings that were bigger and closer," Snow said. "Why did we land here?"

"You lead," Lily said.

Snow assumed that Lily's terse response meant that chatting wasn't on the menu, but after walking a few minutes, she began to speak.

"Look, whatever this thing is, I can tell that it's there, but it messes me up," Lily explained. "My sight, my sense of smell, my sense of direction. Once I got so screwed up I accidentally flew over the town line, which isn't the kind of mistake I'd make on my own, since I'd basically plummet to my death in human form. I'm only alive 'cuz the border throws us back inside. That's when I knew something was here. Don't get me wrong, I can feel it, whatever it is, like how I use a thermal or ridge lift when I fly, but otherwise, it's invisible to me. And my mom and fairies, apparently."

"It's like an entire section of the wood is cloaked," Snow said. "Doesn't seem like the sunlight can touch it."

"But you saw it, right?" Lily asked. "I mean, with your eyes."

"I guess, but I have no idea what it could be hiding."

It didn't take them long to reach the opening just outside the mystery veil, but as they approached, Lily stumbled.

"Are you all right?" Snow asked.

"I told you, this place messes with me something fierce," Lily replied. "Like my insides are trying to run in the other direction."

"You should stay here."

"That thing could be some kinda portal or spider's web or death trap," Lily said. "You can't go in alone."

"Yes I can. You wait here. If I'm not back in four hours, you go for help," she said.

"What if there's something in there?"

"All the more reason for me to go in before someone wanders in by mistake," Snow replied. "Assuming no one has yet."

Lily gave her a cold smile and said, "You know, you're sorta trusting me with your life."

"I am absolutely trusting you with my life."

"Why? I've never hid the fact that I wanted you dead for what you did to me and my mom," Lily said. 

"No, you didn't," Snow replied. "But the mistake Charming and I made was... more than a mistake. The Author set us on a path and then made it infinitely worse by sending you away, but he didn't force us to choose fear over hope. So maybe you do want to kill me, but so does my own daughter. At least in your case, I can remember why."

"I thought you were the person who always spouted hope and crap like that," Lily said.

"I try," Snow said. "I can't change what I did to you, and it's not something I can fix. I can't fix whatever happened in Camelot, and even if I could help Emma, she won't let me. But walking into some creepy phantom part of Storybrooke that repels magical beings? That's something I can do. Maybe even something I can fix. So damn right I'm going to try, and I'm trusting you because you have never done anything to harm me or my family, despite our history. That makes you the trustworthy one between us."

With that, Snow left and walked straight toward the odd, shimmery veil, and she pushed herself to walk through it without hesitation.

 

Ariel and Eric shared a late breakfast at Granny's. They had been living alone on and island for quite some time before suddenly appearing here in Storybrooke a little over a week ago, and they were still adjusting. The change had shaken them, naturally, but she was relieved by the development.

"How was the water?" Eric asked.

"Just right," she replied. "But it's strange. The last curse couldn't touch the mermaids, but this one did."

Eric stopped with his egg-filled fork halfway to his mouth.

"You mean, you're not the only one?" he asked. "How many?"

"Dozens," she replied. "Some of them had some kind of magic to let them walk on land, but most are living along the shoreline."

"Does that mean... is it safe for me and the other fishermen?"

"So long as you don't harpoon a merperson, you'll be fine."

"Mermaids are the most dangerous creatures in all the seas," he said taking her hand. "Best bet is to fall in love with one and marry her."

She smiled, but before she could reply, Ursula pulled up a chair and joined them.

"I overheard you," Ursula said without bothering with introductions. "And you're not wrong. This curse brought over mermaids and mermen, and so far, they've all stayed in this realm."

Ariel and Ursula met briefly in the Enchanted Forest. They hadn't been enemies, but there had been considerable tension. Perhaps something had happened between them in the past three months that made them friends, and Ariel simply couldn't remember it.

"Is that surprising?" Eric asked.

"We can open portals and swim to any realm with magic," Ursula replied. "A curse might bring us here, but it wouldn't stop us from going home or anywhere else for that matter. I went looking for my father three days ago in the waters of the Enchanted Forest, and do you know hat I found? Nothing. Not one merperson. My father's vaults had been emptied, and so had mine."

"And you want your stuff back?" Ariel asked.

"I want to know what's going on," she replied. "But like me, none of them mermaids I met could remember why they're here or what happened in the past three months."

Well, there went Ariel's forgetting-they-became-friends theory.

"Neither can I," Ariel said.

"Nor me," Eric added.

"What if we could remember?" Ursula asked.

"When last we heard, there was no remedy for our memory loss as of yet," Eric replied.

Ursula seemed confused. "Ariel, didn't you get this message?" she asked as she held up her phone.

"I'm not great with technology," she replied. "Particularly when it's not waterproof. Mine won't turn on."

The Sea Witch handed her phone over, and Ariel read the message several times for clarity.

> FROM: Hook  
> Ariel and Ursula: Rock Troll Magic restores memories and will work on us. Need portal to Arendelle.

"So, Captain Hook, the boyfriend of the Dark One, sent you this?" Ariel asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Actually, he sent it to both of us," she replied. "He wants to remember more than anyone else because he thinks his memories hold the key to saving his love."

"Even with a portal, I've never met a Rock Troll... never even seen one before," Ariel said. "I've barely visited Arendelle."

"This town must have somebody whose met the Rock Trolls. We just have to find them," Ursula said.

"Might I propose the Blue Fairy?" Eric suggested. "If we are going on a dangerous mission, it's best to tell someone before we leave. Otherwise, we could be captured by pirates, and no one would be the wiser until the ransom demand."

"We?" Ursula asked.

"You're traveling to another realm for magic to undo the work of the Dark One," he replied. "If Ariel goes, I will join you."

 

Snow stood on the edge of one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. When she turned back, she saw Lily across the clearing, standing in the tree line, plain as day.

"Lily!" she shouted. "It's safe!"

But Lily didn't respond. Snow assumed that the barrier must act as a kind of sound-proof one-way mirror.

With her bow ready, she began to explore the area, which she referred to as the Shadowland in her head.

The wooded area ended abruptly at a strong river. For a few minutes, Snow could do nothing but stare. The land in front of her looked exactly as she remembered the Enchanted Forest: open fields and farmland with small villages and a large castle in the distance, likely at the very heart of the land. Some places, like the seaports, became towns overtime, but she couldn't tell from here if there was anything like that here.

What struck her was the silence. Occasionally, birds flew by or deer ran from her, but there was no one around.

Snow took photos with her phone, but she didn't recognize the area or the castle from here. She needed a closer look. The river stretched out in both directions, possibly extending beyond the town line, and there was no bridge. So she followed it until she found a thin spot and took a running leap.

She reached the other side but just barely. She slid down the bank slightly, getting her feet wet, but she quickly climbed out.

She walked for an hour, knowing she'd never reach the castle by foot, but she reached the first of the houses, which were clustered around a high watchtower made of stone. All the houses were empty, as was the tower. 

Snow considered returning until she saw a fine young stallion out at pasture. She found a bridle in one of the houses and approached him, and he didn't spook. He was acclimated to people, even though nobody was around.

She hadn't ridden bareback in ages, but it felt wonderful. The stallion was clearly a champion of some kind, for his gallop had an incredible pace. She arrived at the castle in what seemed like no time at all, and even then, the stallion seemed ready to run right past it.

She let him free in a nearby pasture, and he ran like he'd been cooped up for too long.

Snow walked over the downed drawbridge and looked up at the open gates, and only then did she recognize this place.

This wasn't a castle, or at least not just a castle. It was an entire fortified city around a castle. This was Camelot. She captured as many images with her phone as she could.

She was ready to go inside until she saw a life-sized statue between the walls of the city and the moat. Something about it seemed familiar, but getting a closer look would be tricky, especially because she was already pushing the deadline she gave Lily.

She used the clumsy zoom feature on her phone to snap a few pictures, including a close-up of the face.

"Lancelot?" she asked in horror.

The statue bore more than just an artistic resemblance to the former knight. Was this how Cora killed her friend? Turned him to stone? Why was he here in the Shadowland of Camelot? And why was no one else here?

She checked her phone for the time, confirmed that she had been here too long. She needed to get back before Lily went for a rescue party.

"You probably have a name," Snow said to the stallion. "A horse like you must have a name. Lightning. You're certainly fast enough. I know you just ran here minutes ago, but I really need to get back. Any chance you'd give me a lift, Lighting?"

The stallion hardly seemed winded at all. In fact, he was chomping at the bit to run again, so Snow let him. As she rode, she wondered if Lighting was enchanted somehow, for he covered leagues in a matter of seconds. In less than a hour, with no slowing down on his part, they reached the river.

Snow removed the bridle, sorry that she didn't have time to return Lighting to his pasture or return the bridle to its house. She touched the horse's nose and neck and felt the thumping of his heart.

"Thank you, Lightning. I hope to see you again soon," Snow said. "Go on, you're free."

With that, the stallion raced off, and Snow repeated her running jump, this time running a bit more before the jump to clear both banks. She took care to hang the bridle prominently from a tree, so if its owner went looking for it, it would be hard to miss.

Then she ran as fast as she could, hoping Lily had waited longer than four hours.

 

* * *

**The White Stag**   


Once upon a time, there was a great General who sought to unite the broken lands under a single ruler. Though many before him attempted the same feat, the General succeeded in many conquests. It seemed, for a time, that the General would become the First True King of the reunited kingdom.

The General fell in love with the Duchess of one of his allied lands, but she was already wed to the Duke. So even though it broke his heart, he left her company and continued on his mission.

One day, the General, who also happened to be the greatest hunter in the land, was hunting game with his men in the woods. The men celebrated when they bagged a hart and a young stag at once, for it would feed them and their families for many nights yet.

The General ordered them to return to camp but remained behind, for that day he had seen a creature with enormous antlers and a coat of pure white disappearing through the trees and wanted nothing more than to capture it. 

The White Stag was known through all the realms as the creature that could never be caught, yet legend had it that, should any man ever capture this quarry, he would receive the answer any question he asked.

The General caught another glimpse of the White Stag at dusk, and he urged his horse to race after it with rope in hand. The chase ran on well into the night until the stag abandoned the cover of the trees for a pasture. There, under the light of a thousand stars, the General captured the White Stag using a lasso made from his enchanted hunting rope.

He approached the beast and saw that it was like no other deer he'd seen before, magnificent and splendid. Though its antlers and coat would be the most prized trophies in all the realms, he could not bring himself to kill it.

The General removed the binding from the stag and released it, but it wouldn't run. In fact, when the General began to leave, it followed him.

"You are free," he said to the White Stag. "I captured you, but you're neither my prey nor my prisoner."

The White Stag transformed into a woman not much older than the General. She had kind eyes and wore the robes of a healer.

"Thank you," the woman said. "Long ago a Dark Mage cursed me to take the form of a stag till either the day I was killed on the hunt or the day a man captured me only to set me free."

"Are you a healer?" the General asked.

"I am a Magus," she replied.

"I've heard magi before," he said. "But only in legends and history. Wizards or those gifted with magic could either choose to be healers, dedicating their powers to healing alone, or they could become magi."

"Surely you've met a magus before," she said.

"I'm afraid not. There have been none in these lands for a very, very long time."

"Then I must tell you about us," she said. "A magus is not someone with magic that chooses not to be healer. To become like me, you must have magic and dedicate your life to helping others with it. I took a vow when I joined the magi, and now I owe a great debt to you, sir. Please, tell me how I can help you."

"I have much work ahead of me, uniting all the lands into a single kingdom," the General said. 

"I am afraid that something like that is a matter of destiny," she said. "I cannot interfere, but I assure you, my help is not needed in that endeavor."

"There is nothing else," he said. "Except for my love for a woman who is already wed. Could you rid me of that?"

The magus smiled. "My dear General, why would you destroy your love for a woman who may yet be your wife?"

"She is wed to another."

"Perhaps, but true love is never limited by such things," she said. "If you wish it, my work will not be done until the woman you love is your wife."

The General had tried to forget about the Duchess, but even the shortest moment of idle time drew his mind and heart back to her. He decided that if there was a chance that she was his true love, he must fight for her.

"Very well, Magus," he said. "I wish for the Duchess to be my wife."

Thus, the Magus and the General left the woods for the encampment with the hope of a wedding soon to follow.

* * *

 

It had been over five hours since Snow disappeared, but Lily hadn't gone for help.

It wasn't because she wanted Snow to die. Resentment still persisted, certainly, but not like that anymore. She waited because she felt like the moment she walked away, Snow would return and the entire rescue mission would be for naught.

Just before the sixth hour, Snow came charging out of nowhere. She panted, "You... haven't... left... yet."

"I figured as soon as I left, you'd be here, just my luck," Lily said. "So what is it? Candyland? Dimension filled with gargoyles? Kingdom of stuff that can't be in the sun?"

"No, it's... Camelot," Snow replied.

"Camelot? As in... _the_ Camelot?"

"The city of stone," Snow said. "And a lot of the land around it, too. That's what took me so long, riding there and back."

"Speaking of, it's gonna get dark soon," Lily pointed out. 

They went to the nearest large clearing, and Lily transformed into a dragon. The experience was always thrilling, her body becoming lean and powerful, and her long, slender wings unfurling. 

She let Snow climb onto her back before she leaped into the air from the ground. It wasn't easy to start so low because there was no speed to get higher in the air, which meant it was one-hundred percent muscle work. She pumped her wings hard, driving herself higher into the sky.

She was nearly there when she caught a glimpse of another dragon. Her mother was like her, a purple so dark that it could be black, but this other dragon was a deep, dark blue.

She and Snow had a mission, and she did want to know more about the hidden space that apparently housed Camelot. But right now, more than anything, she wanted to know who this other dragon was.

So she bolted after him, her body burning through calories like never before. She was young, and lithe, and quick, but the other dragon was far more experienced. If anything, this new blue dragon made it seem so... effortless.

In the blink of an eye, he dropped to the ground and landed elegantly. She followed, gripping the ground with her claws, but by the time she regained her footing, the other dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Snow dismounted inelegantly. She said, "Must've transformed or shrunk or something." 

She disappeared between the trees but returned moments later.

"There's no trail," she said. "No tracks of any kind, and it'll be dark soon. If you want to try to find him now, you'll have to transform."

Lily considered it, but without tracks, they'd need magic to find this other dragon. And for that, she needed her mom. So she shook her head and got down low so Snow could climb on again.

After a moment's adjustment, she launched herself into the air, and they were gone.

 

Tinker Bell hadn't moved into the convent with the other fairies because, well, it was a convent. What sense did it make for a world to have fairies that guided people to true love without them having the same romantic intimacy? Tink loved being a fairy, but she also wanted love for herself. She couldn't manage that while living in a convent.

Still, she had much in common with the other fairies, so she visited once a day, usually in the late afternoon or evening.

After running around with Regina and Robin Hood all day, she felt completely drained. Most of the fairies had set up temporary cots at the hospital, all thoughts of shifts and time off forgotten. 

But Blue, being wiser than the average fairy, had kept a solid schedule, and every day, she checked the stockroom where they kept their magic, confirming inventory on everything from potions to pure fairy dust.

As she walked to the main office, she overheard Blue talking with Ursula and someone else whose voice she didn't recognize. 

"Belle is the only one that I know for certain has gone there," Blue said. "But even if you could go, what makes you so sure the Rock Trolls could help you?"

"Because the Dark One's boyfriend did some recon for us," Ursula replied.

"Is he her boyfriend?" the other person asked. "I mean, I know he had a thing for her before, but were they ever really together? And what about now that she's the Dark One?"

"Ariel, can we focus on what's important here?" Ursula asked. "Regardless of Hook's relationship status, he is close to the Dark One, and she let it slip that this will work on us."

"Are you certain?" Blue asked. "Emma is very smart, and the Dark One manipulates people. Isn't it possible that she simply tricked him into believing this?"

"Why bother?" Ursula asked. "Hook might have a fancy ship, but without a portal or a bean, it's not going anywhere."

"And according to Granny, he's sick or bedridden or something, so if she did tell him something she didn't mean to, she might be too distracted with him right now to worry about it," Ariel said. "We should do this sooner, or immediately, rather than later, that's all I'm saying."

"Very well. There are some things I'll need to prepare," Blue said. "You two should talk with Belle... once you have the magic of the Rock Troll, I can work from there."

Tinker Bell heard them coming, and she ducked into one of the open rooms and let them pass. People on a secret mission to thwart the Dark One ought to be given a wide berth. She waited until she heard their footsteps fade away before she went to Blue's office.

Blue was sitting with the windows blocked and the lights out, contemplating a wand. Tink could tell that it wasn't Blue's usual wand, but the darkness prevented her from making out anything beyond that.

"Is everything okay?" Tinker Bell asked.

"Oh, Green, I didn't see you there," Blue replied. "I'm just... thinking."

"If the atmosphere is any indication, it must be dire."

"Not really. Henry has a new storybook, and there's a tale in it about a Dark Mage. A hidden story appeared when I touched it," she said. "I think the book is trying to tell me I know who the Dark Mage of the Broken Kingdom is, but I can't place who it is. It distracted me at the hospital. I'm starting to wonder if this curse somehow affected my memories, too."

Tink could hear the tension in Blue's voice, and instinctively, she knew that her inner turmoil had nothing to do with a curse.

"You already know," Tink said. "You know who the Dark Mage was or who was pretending to be him or her. Your memories are fine, Blue, so don't hold back. Don't lie to yourself."

Blue looked at her, and she reacted as if she really saw her for the first time since the conversation began.

"Thank you, Tink," Blue said. "I'm sorry, I need to get going."

 

* * *

**Magus, Mage, and Fairy**   


Once upon a time, there was a fairy in the Enchanted Forest. She had great power and influence until the day another fairy defeated her, took her wand, and banished her to the broken lands, never to set foot in the kingdoms under the influence of fairies again.

Without a wand, the fairy took the form of a young woman, the Dark Mage, and she wandered aimlessly for a time. She made many attempts at revenge, taking on different forms to enact her plans: Sage, Healer, Magus, and Mage.

A very, very long time later, a General began to unite the broken lands with a powerful army. Once the lands were united into a single kingdom, the fairies would return here, and the Dark Mage would be driven from her new home. Unwilling to allow this, she disguised herself as a servant in the General's entourage that she may discover some way to corrupt his mission.

Upon their visit to the lands of a Duke in the service of the General, the Dark Mage witnessed his interaction with the Duchess. Though he hid it well, she could see that he desired her, possibly loved her, and thus the Dark Mage had a way to prevent the General from ever becoming the First True King of the united lands.

So, the next time the General joined the hunt, the Dark Mage disguised herself as a White Stag, appearing to him briefly. After the hunting party killed its prey, the General pursued the White Stag, as she knew he would. After a chase, she allowed him to capture her.

She then transformed into a Magus and offered the General his heart's desire: the Duchess for his wife. He accepted, never asking how such a thing would come to pass.

The Dark Mage cast a spell on the Duchess and Duke that bred unhappiness between the two. The Duke blamed her for bearing three daughters, though what he suddenly wanted more than anything in the world was a son. He became cold, then cruel, towards the Duchess, and for many months, she could do little more than care for her daughters and ignore her husband's callousness. Finally, one night the Duke came to her and announced that he was leaving for the front lines, for it was better to risk his life for the land than to live with a woman he hates.

Pretending to be the Magus, the Dark Mage went to the General and urged him to show the Duchess some form of affection. She insisted that, should it be true love, she would respond to his kindness, and soon they would be wed.

The General left the battles to his officers and traveled to the Duke's castle for a reprieve. That night, he saw the Duchess crying through the window in her room, and he went out and gathered Wisp Lilies, which only bloom in the moonlight. He then called a servant to take the flowers to the Duchess with a hand-written message: "One for each tear, for neither the Lady of Moon nor I forgets our charges."

The Duchess, upon reading the letter, knew it was his hand that wrote it. Having known little kindness in the past months, it warmed her heart, and she asked the servant to dispatch a message of her own: "Nor will I forget who I serve and love."

And from that moment on, the General spent more and more time at the Duke's castle, even at the expense of his battles. The Duchess eventually accepted his affections completely, and he courted her as any man who sought a wife. 

After many months had passed, the General summoned the Magus and asked her when he could finally marry her, for he desired a wife and family. She assured him that once the Duke died, he could marry the Duchess. The General demanded to know how long the Duke would live.

"That, I do not know," the Magus said. "But I assure you, I have seen you wed in the future, but even the most powerful seer could not say when."

The Magus disappeared, and the General considered her words. He had long grown impatient with this arrangement, and every day he grew more lustful over the Duchess. Not long after, a servant arrived with a message from the very lady he longed for: "By the Lady of the Moon three nights hence."

Had the message been intercepted, no one would be the wiser about its meaning, but to the General, it meant she was ready to become his. 

The General decided that receiving the message so close to the Magus's assurances was a sign, so he began to set things in motion. He called the Duke back from the front lines, which between the messenger's ride and the journey itself would take at three days. He likewise ordered a patrol unit to monitor the perimeter of the Duke's castle and kill any man claiming to be the Duke, for he was a traitor to the cause.

Thus, on the very night that the General finally seduced the Duchess and consummated their affair, the Duke was murdered for a crime he did not commit. 

Soon after, the news spread that the Duke had been murdered on his way home from war, and the Duchess grieved for the father of her children. The day of her husband's funeral, the General proposed to her, and only then did she understand that the General had been behind it all. She refused him and told him she never wanted to see him again.

Angry and confused, the General called for the Magus. The Dark Mage appeared in her disguise and assured the General that the Duchess would soon be his wife, but he didn't believe her. 

"I demand that you go to her and not leave her side until she accepts my marriage proposal!" the General bellowed.

"As you wish."

The Magus disappeared, and the next morning, the Duchess came to the General and accepted his proposal. A month later, they were married.

* * *

 

Blue left the convent on foot, hoping a walk would comfort her. Tinker Bell was right. There was nothing wrong with her memory. She had been lying to herself, denying a truth that was too painful to consider.

She knew exactly who the Dark Mage was.

Why else would she have gone to the most secure part of the vault to retrieve the Black Fairy's Wand just to stare at it at length? 

She hadn't wanted to believe it because she was the one who exiled the Black Fairy from the kingdoms where the fairies had a foothold. The Black Fairy hadn't been a rival so much as a nuisance, but she had caused enough turmoil to make her an enemy. Blue took the opportunity to defeat her and take her wand.

The trouble was, not all enemies were villains. After banishing her, Blue never made any attempt to keep track of her, assuming that, should the Black Fairy regain her power, her actions would be far from subtle.

But that was all a very, very long time ago. Long enough that only legend remained, and according to legend, the Black Fairy, a practitioner well-versed in dark magic, was defeated and exiled by the Blue Fairy.

The real story was far more horrible and could fill volumes.

She realized that she had detoured, walking in the direction of the Sorcerer's Mansion instead of the sheriff's station. She changed course only to find that an army had marched into Storybrooke.

How had she not noticed?

She thought on that for a moment, and she realized that something was very wrong. She retreated to the Sorcerer's Mansion. 

Before she got there, her legs failed her and pain radiated through the as she sank into the ground. She had run into a pit of hot pitch and was dragged down by its quagmire. She tried to move, but the tar was so hot that it melted her skin. All she could do was scream. 

She stopped sinking when she was submerged to her waist. Footfall drew her eyes, but she couldn't see her attacker. 

"Why are you hiding?" Blue hissed through the pain. "I know... I know it's you..."

She felt the Petrifying Curse as soon as it was cast on her, but it had been modified to progress slowly. Perhaps she was wrong. Maybe this wasn't the work of the Black Fairy. But who else could it be?

Her bones turned to stone, then her organs, and finally the rest of her.

 

* * *

**Now...**

* * *

 

Arthur couldn't imagine how this land had survived so long. Not only did the Dark One make a home here, but it was filled with vile monsters that had long since been driven out of Camelot. 

The dragon above circled, preparing to attack.

"Archers, take aim!" Arthur ordered.

Heralds blew horns, and dozens of bows were notched and drawn.

"STOP!" Regina shouted.

"Surely even you cannot defend a dragon!" Arthur yelled back.

"Wait!" David shouted. He came closer so as not to yell and said, "She's not a dragon, she's a person. Her name is Lily. She and Snow went to investigate something deep in the woods this morning."

"And upon their return, the beast lets out a bellow so horrid that it shatters glass?" Arthur asked. "Tell me, Prince Charming, do you have any family or friends who do not curse, destroy, or kill?"

"Snow and Lily return, possibly with urgent news, and find our entire town filled by an invading army," David said. "Lily could be reigning fire down on your men right now, but she isn't and she hasn't. Would you sentence her to death for crying out when her home is in danger?"

Arthur could not believe a word he was hearing. This man - this leader - stood alongside the Evil Queen, protected the Dark One, and consorted with dragons. And yet, his unintelligible actions had enough sense to cast a doubt.

"Stand down!" Arthur ordered.

The heralds sounded the yielding trumpet, and the archers returned to standard formation.

The dragon landed on top of the sheriff's station and vanished. The soldiers who had taken cover from the roar and exploding glass returned to their positions, and silence spread throughout the town.

Arthur turned his attention to the two men who had appeared before the dragon. He couldn't believe his eyes. The last time he'd seen those faces was over thirty years ago, and neither Lionel nor Bors the Younger had aged more than five years since.

The king jumped down from his horse to get a closer look. Bors had his mother's eyes, and Lionel was the spitting image of his father. For the first time since he arrived in this horrible town, Arthur felt joy. All these years, he thought he had failed their father, but his bloodline and family lived on.

"Lionel? Bors?" Arthur asked. 

"Louie and Ben," Lionel said. "Those are our names here."

"Camelot fought to rescue you, but when the tide turned against King Claudas, I thought... he told us that he executed you before we could save you."

"He didn't," Bors, or rather, Ben, replied. "He exiled us, and we were cursed into this land. It is my duty to tell you that destroying my uncle's sword will not end this scourge. In fact, the destruction of Coreiseuse will ensure its curse lives on forever."

Whatever madness the Dark One had set upon this land, Bors and Lionel could help him end it. Arthur could remedy a past failure and save his kingdom at the same time.

Speaking both to them and to everyone who could hear him, he said, "Your father was a good man, as was your uncle. Embrace me as they did, and join us. We are your people. You belong with us."

He held out his hands to them. 

Lionel and Bors did as their father and uncle, each one taking one of Arthur's hands. He moved to embrace them as his own kin, but neither released their grips. Instead, each grabbed an elbow, and together they turned him to face his own knights.

"I am the son of King Bors, and Arthur has taken my hand to welcome me back as a citizen of Camelot," the elder brother said. "And as a citizen of Camelot, I demand that Arthur be tried for his crimes against my family!"

Lances were pointed. Arrows were notched. Swords were drawn.

"What right do you have to accuse the King of Camelot?" Sir Gawain asked. 

"Stand down!" Arthur ordered.

The soldiers obeyed without question.

"What right?" Lionel - or Louie - said. "We have no right. It's true. You can see us as foreigners now. We've been forced to live away from Camelot for so long that it seems we are. But justice alone will appease my uncle's sword, so even without the right, a good king would give a testament of integrity for the sake of his people."

Arthur gently freed himself before speaking. "What crimes have I committed against you or your family? I swear to you, had I known that you lived, I would've stopped at nothing to restore you to your home."

The eldest brother took charge, stopping the younger from replying. "If that is true, then prove it. Take the Rite of Testimony and provide a testament to your actions towards our family."

"If I do this, will the curse end, regardless of my innocence or guilt?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Bors-now-Ben replied.

"Very well. As justice for justice, I only ask that you both return to your rightful place in Camelot," Arthur replied.

"Get on with it, then," Lionel-now-Louie said.

"That's not the way of things," Sir Gawain said.

"He's right," Arthur said. "The Rite of Testimony requires a period of reflection."

"The Considerations of Conscience?" Louie asked.

"Yes," Arthur replied. "Without it, the Rite will be incomplete. Custom dictates that a month - "

"A month?" Regina interrupted. She indicated Kitt, who still fought bitterly to escape his chains and attack. "Something tells me we can't wait a month."

"He will be held prisoner until he is freed of the curse," Sir Gawain said.

"The curse will consume him in a matter of days," Regina replied. "Protecting others from him won't save his life."

"Can you not slow the process?" Arthur asked. "You have magic enough here."

Regina walked over to Kitt and inspected him closely, but Arthur could see this was all for show. She would consider the man in front of her, write him off as a lowly stable boy, and then announce that nothing could be done to save him.

"You're right," she said. "Half-right, I should say. The curse isn't fully rooted in him yet. I can slow it long enough for him to be placed in a medically induced coma. It's a drastic measure, but the only state where a curse cannot grow is one that is both dreamless and unconscious."

"The only people I've seen in such a state had been badly injured, nearly dead," Arthur said. "Doing that to a man is more than drastic."

"In this land, doctors can induce this medicine," David said.

"Very well. I will take the Rite of Testimony, and from this moment, I will enter the Considerations of Conscience for one month's time. The Army of Camelot will return peacefully to our encampment under an armistice, and Sir Gawain will take on my duties as King, with Sir Galahad as his second, should he be found in this land," Arthur announced. "It is my desperate hope, Bors the Younger and Lionel, that you will see that I have done your family no harm and that you will return to your rightful places in Camelot when the time comes."

With that, Arthur mounted his horse and lead his people out of the town.

 

Lily paced inside the station as Red, Belle, Robin, Snow, and Henry rifled through papers.

"Shouldn't we be helping?" she asked.

"You think ten people should fight all of Camelot?" Red asked.

"Ten people including a dragon, a werewolf, and the Evil Queen," Lily replied. "We call my mom, the Merry Men, and then we - "

"Have an army," Belle said, interrupting. "That won't help anything that's happening here."

Lily released a mirthless laugh as she began to pace faster. A room full of heroes and not one of them wanted to fight.

"I should've left this place when I had the chance," Lily mumbled. 

"You can't," Henry said. 

"Because this new curse sealed off the borders," she said. "I know, I know."

"No... I mean, yes, that's true, too, but the reason you can't leave is you're not done," Henry replied. "You haven't found your dad yet, have you?"

"Your mom told you about that?"

"She asked me to look through any of the storybooks from our land to find clues about who he could be."

"Storybooks?" Lily asked. "What, can you use magic to run a DNA test for dragons or something?"

"Don't be silly," he replied. "I'm the Author, so I can find storybooks that have accounts from the Enchanted Forest. Like this one."

He held up a leather-bound book.

"Those are just stories."

"They are stories, but they're also real. My other storybook has stories about my grandparents, my other mom, the Dark One... all of it actually happened."

"Have you found anything?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe in Camelot, but I can't remember," Henry said. "But I'm still looking. And anyway, you shouldn't leave because you're like me and Red and everyone in here."

"How's that?"

"You belong here," he said. "Your mom is here, and maybe your dad is, too. Maybe you don't see it. My mom - Emma - didn't see it at first, either, but this is her home. And it's yours, too."

"I'd like to believe that."

Henry smiled, and she wondered if he somehow knew that she did, in fact, believe it.

 

 **Ten weeks ago in Storybrooke...** Lily went to the woods where her mother gave her lessons on how to be a scary dragon bitch, among other things. 

A little over a week ago, the dwarf who took over as acting sheriff begged them to train deep in the woods, away from the town and Merry Men encampment. There had been a ridiculous amount of pleading and far too many sneezes for Lily's liking, but Maleficent agreed without question. So now Lily had a thirty-minute hike into the woods each day.

Her mother suggested that she learn the ins and outs of magical transportation, but Lily had her doubts. She might live with more than the average amount of dark potential but that had never stopped her from being a quick study, and the past two weeks taught her one thing: magic always came at an often unpredictable price.

Lily was thankful for the long hike because it gave her time to gather her thoughts. The only thing she loved more than transforming into a dragon was flying, and there was no way she could stay in Storybrooke and resist the call of her transformation. If casting a spell had consequences, then becoming a winged, fire-breathing reptile must also levy a price.

Today, Lily was going to tell her mother that she needed to leave and never come back.

"Are you all right?" Maleficent asked.

Lily hadn't realized that she had already arrived in the clearing. 

"Uh, yeah, it's just... I came to tell you, I can't do this anymore," Lily said. "I gotta go."

"Go?" Maleficent asked. "What do you mean, go?"

"I gotta leave Storybrooke."

"But you said you liked it here. We were making progress... even having fun."

Despite knowing her mother for less than a month, Lily couldn't help being moved by her concern and disappointment. She felt a strong urge to say something, anything, to alleviate her mother's confusion. 

"You never told me the price," Lily blurted.

"The price of magic?" Maleficent replied. "Our last ten lessons have been about nothing else."

"Yeah about magic spells and curses and freaking wishes granted from genies," Lily said, speaking far too quickly. "But I've turned into a dragon every day for the last week, and you never said what the cost was."

Maleficent smiled. 

"Why are you smiling?" Lily asked.

She replied, "It's just that... I'm proud. My daughter not only can use magic, but she asks the right questions. I've never met another sorceress who was concerned about consequences."

Lily said, "So, what is it? Every time I transform I risk getting stuck as a dragon forever? Or is it some kind of thing where I trade a day or year of my life each time I do it?"

"Don't be silly," Maleficent said. "We've talked about light and dark magic, but the transformation you and I can perform is neither. Imagine what would happen to werewolves if they were taxed so high."

"Werewolves are a thing?" Lily asked. "Aren't they forced to transform by the moon?"

"Depends on who you ask," Maleficent said. "People who can transform into non-human entities, be it werewolves who have a set time of transformation of people like you and me who can change shape at will, tap into an innate power much older than light and dark magic. The cost is that transformations are difficult, often painful, and force us live as twofold beings."

"Twofold beings? Sounds like something form a damn fortune cookie."

"A twofold being is someone whose soul has more than one physical form," Maleficent explained. "People like us often feel like we don't belong anywhere. No matter the form we take, part of us is missing. That's the true cost of our transformations, Lily. But I promise you, as long as you are here, I will be with you. You'll never be alone."

Lily wanted to smile, but one thing she learned growing up was that if she heard something she wanted to hear, it almost certainly wasn't true. The thought that her self-loathing could be a byproduct of her inner twofold dragon was certainly tempting.

"Lily?" Maleficent said gently.

"I just... I want to believe you but it sounds too good to be true," she replied. "Magic is the reason I got banished to this place and didn't meet my own mother till I was thirty-three. I don't want to mess with it."

"Then we won't," Maleficent said. "Come with me."

"Come with you where?"

"To find the others," her mother replied. "I know there are two werewolves in this town, though one of them went with Regina and the Charming squad to get Emma back. I'm sure if we can find a list of people who live here we can find other twofold entities."

"So we're leaving the woods to look up a town census?" Lily asked. When her mother gave her an inquisitive look, she added, "A census is a kind of... thing that counts all the people who live in a certain place. Usually more accurate than a phone book."

"Very well, then we shall find this census," she replied. "And I promise you, Lily, the price of becoming a dragon is one you've already paid."

Even before they reached the town, Lily knew that both her mind and her heart had changed. She would never leave Storybrooke again.

 

The sound of hooves and boots erupted in the silence. Henry wanted to see what was happening, but he also promised his mom he'd stay inside until she or David returned. 

"Sounds like they're leaving," Belle said. 

"They are," David said as he, Louie, and Ben came in.

Snow ran over to her husband and hugged him.

"Where's my mom?" Henry asked.

"She's taking care of Kitt," he replied. "He's a stable boy who got cursed. She'll be home after dinner."

"So, everything's okay?" Henry asked.

"It's... a little more complicated than that," David replied. "But for now, things have died down a bit. Louie and Ben will be staying with us for a while."

"They will?" Snow asked.

"We will?" Louie asked at the same time.

"We can't risk that someone might retaliate against you," David explained. "The best way to do that is to protect you. So we're going to your apartment now so you can pack your things. During the day, we'll ask you to stay at the station or another secure location, and at night, you'll stay with us at Mary Margaret's loft."

Red spoke up. "David, anyone angry enough to attack them won't stop because they're living with the sheriff, and keeping them at the station isn't exactly safe."

"Red's right," Belle said. "The best way to protect them is to hide them."

"You mean like with a cloak of invisibility?" Henry asked.

"Actually, I was thinking about the Six-Leaf Clover of Oz," she said. "Rumpel has other glamouring objects, including a coin that you put in your shoe. You'll both look like different people."

"And we can set you up at Granny's," Red suggested.

"It's a plan," David said.

"Now that that fire is out," Lily said. "We got a whole 'nother one to deal with."

"Maybe we should wait until tomorrow," Snow suggested. "Everything is settling down, and it's not hurting anyone or going anywhere."

"What's not?" Henry asked.

No one answered him, so he waited as everyone argued over adjourning for the night or pressing on. At some point, Lily exited the debate and came to sit with him.

"Can I see these storybooks you got?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied. "Take a look at this one. It's got hidden stories, and - "

She touched it, and the book glowed briefly. "Whatever just happened, it wasn't me," she said defensively.

"This book has hidden stories. One of them must be for you. Let me see the Table of Contents - "

She interrupted, "It's okay, kid, I know which one is for me."

 

* * *

**The Child who came from the Egg**   


Once upon a time, there was a Duchess. She had married a fine Duke of the broken lands, and together they had three beautiful daughters. But one day, a spell was cast over her and her husband, and animosity came between them.

The Duke went off to the front lines, and the General he served came to stay at the Duke's castle. The General was kind toward the Duchess. Longing for a companion, she responded to his affections, and they had an affair.

The Duke was murdered on the night he returned from the front lines, and the day of his funeral, the General proposed to the Duchess. Realizing he must've had a hand in the Duke's murder, she rejected him completely.

She returned to her castle and found an elderly beggar by the door. The Duchess was moved with compassion for the woman and invited her inside for shelter and food. 

"Thank you," the beggar said. Then she revealed herself to be a powerful magus. "For your kindness on this terrible day and for your generosity and compassion, you will be rewarded. You need only tell me what you desire."

"My husband to be alive," the Duchess said.

"Alas, I cannot bring back the dead, but you shouldn't live long without a husband."

"I will never marry again."

The Magus asked her, "How long was your husband away at war?"

"Six months."

"And did you see him before he died?" the Magus asked her.

"It is widely known that he was murdered before he arrived home," the Duchess replied. 

"Then my dear, I must tell you that you need to marry again, as soon as possible," the Magus said. "For if it is widely known that you have not seen your husband for half the year, people will soon learn of your transgression. You are with child."

"That cannot be true!"

"Even those with the smallest amount of magic could tell you this," the Magus said.

"Then, if you mean that you can give me what I desire, then I beg you, take this child from me and end it."

"If this is what you truly desire, I can do as you ask," the Magus said. "I see your heart, good Duchess, and I know that your spirit is of a good nature and kind. So I know there must be a reason for you to ask for such a thing."

"The man responsible deserves no heirs to his name," the Duchess said. "Please, help me."

"I have seen the future, good Duchess, and though little is clear, I see the great man your child, your son, will become."

"All the more reason," the Duchess said. "You must prevent this child from being born, lest he live to make his father a man to be remembered."

"Very well," the Magus said. "But for the vows I have taken, I cannot perform this magic for you out of gratitude or as a gift. This kind of magic comes with a price."

"Tell me, and I shall pay it."

The Magus said, "You must marry the father, the man who deserves no heirs. Fear not, good Duchess, for the price of this magic will be that you will never have another child."

"If that is the cost, then I will go to the father tomorrow morning and accept his proposal," the Duchess said.

The Magus used a very ancient magic to transfer the unborn child from the mother's womb and into an egg. 

"Once you have taken your vows and married the father, I will drop the egg from a great height," the Magus said. "And no one will ever know the truth, but be warned, if you fail to marry the father, the spell will reverse itself."

With that, the Magus disappeared. 

The next day, the Duchess went to the General and accepted his marriage proposal, and they were wed by the end of the month.

 

The Duchess assumed that the price of magic would leave her barren, but soon after the wedding, she was with child again. The pregnancy made her terribly ill in a way she never experienced with her daughters. As she neared delivery, the best healers in the land could do nothing to help her.

The General, fearing for the life of his new wife and child, called on the Magus and begged her to save the Duchess and his child.

"My debt to you was fulfilled on the day you took your wedding vows," the Magus said. "But for my vows, I will do all I can to assist you."

"Please, save their lives," the General pleaded.

The Magus replied, "Your wife is too near death. I do not have the power to save her, but I can save your child. I warn you, good General, that this magic does have a price, and one day I shall be forced to return to you and collect its cost."

"If you can save my heir, good Magus, then I will pay whatever you ask," the General replied.

That night, the Duchess and her unborn child died. 

But the Magus, who was actually the Dark Mage in disguise, had lied to the Duchess all those months ago. She never had any intention of harming the egg with the unborn child. For nearly a year, she had nurtured it, and it had grown from the size of a blackbird's to the size of a dragon's. And all the while, the child within thrived. 

When his mother died, eleven months to the day that she begged the Magus to kill him before he was born, the shell cracked, and the son of the Duchess and the General hatched. 

Thus, the Magus presented the General his son, and he was none the wiser. The General named his son Arthur, the boy who would one day be king.

* * *

 

Lily read the story twice because it was far too messed up to be a fairy tale. She had assumed that the story would be about someone like her, a child born from a powerful sorceress who took the form of a dragon or giant phoenix or whatever magical creatures that people turned into that laid eggs.

"Why is Arthur the only person in this book with a name?" Lily asked.

"Something to do with the curse," Henry said. "You said Arthur, do you mean... you know, King Arthur?"

"You mean the douchebag that just tried to shoot me down with arrows?" Lily asked. "I dunno. Like I said, he's the only one in here with a name. Sounds like it though, the whole destined-to-be-king thing."

"That can't be right," Henry said. "According to my grandparents, the real King Arthur grew up an orphan."

"The kid might've had a father on the day he was born or hatched or whatever, but the dude was called 'the General.' Maybe he dies in the next story."

"I haven't read that one yet," Henry replied.

Lily glanced at the table of contents, curious about what else could be in this book, but none of the other titles seemed to have anything to do with dragons.

"Belle, hang on a second," Henry said as the librarian started to leave. "How's grandpa doing?"

"He's... the same. There're only three petals left, but that means there's still time," Belle replied. 

He moved closer to her and whispered, "I think we need to initiate Operation... Bumblebee."

Belle smiled, and Lily decided it was time to make herself scarce. She needed to warn her mom about the Camelot encampment. The last thing they needed was for some knucklehead archers to shoot at them as they practiced the art of lift.

 

_"I can't sleep."_

_Killian led Emma through the ornate corridors of the castle as they walked arm and arm. Snow and Charming accompanied them until they reached their own chambers and retired. He was dressed in his finest cloths, and Emma wore a stunning off-white gown that suited her perfectly._

_The room Camelot provided was enormous and included a magnificent four-poster bed. Being a gentleman, he allowed her to select her side of the bed first. She hesitated._

_"I don't sleep," she said._

_"You haven't even tried," he replied._

_"It's not insomnia. The Dark One doesn't need to sleep."_

_"You may also have no need of food, Swan," he replied. "Or walking for that matter, but that's no reason not to eat or saunter, is it? You are more tired than I've ever seen you, so whether or not you have need of it, you are going to join me in this bed and rest."_

_She nestled under the covers and curled against him, and though he never could tell if she was actually asleep, she seemed peaceful enough._

_Then events sped by, blurring together. Riding horses. Taking turns teaching Henry swordplay. Long, aimless walks together in the evenings. Kisses stolen in the garden. Passion and sex with the moonlight pouring in through their high chamber's windows._

_A voice spoke, splintered and out-of-place. It said, "Balance is required. Given the right circumstances, magic can transform. Tap into a complimentary magic."_

_Searing pain and coldness, numbness. Killian was sprawled out on the grass, bleeding. Emma cowered over him, crying. Regina, Robin, Snow, Charming, Belle, and the five dwarves circled around them._

_He tasted blood in his mouth. He was dying. He could feel it._

_"Please, help him!" Emma pleaded to her family through her tears. "Help him! Please!"_

_But none replied. Killian saw their faces: cold, uncaring, cruel. Her entire family stood by and did nothing, abandoning them both._

_"Emma Swan... I love you," he gasped with the last of his strength._

_Then he saw the world from above as if his spirit ascended into the sky. Now alone, Emma cradled his lifeless body in the middle of a luscious valley bordered by farmland and forests. She collapsed over his body, and the earth around her withered. Whatever was happening spread, blackening the plants and decimating anything man made._

Killian woke with taste of blood in his mouth, too tired to open his eyes.


	5. Remedies and Souvenirs

Killian woke with the taste of blood in his mouth, but it was just the aftermath of the dream. The salty iron taste did nothing for his headache, so he kept his eyes closed, hoping he'd fall asleep again.

As a pirate on a revenge mission, he had more than his fair share of nightmares, but this felt different. Had the true love's kiss somehow unlocked his memories? His doubt truncated and jumbled them. Or maybe vivid dreaming was merely a side effect of Sorcerer's Bane or its antidote.

His mind wouldn't switch off, so he gave up on sleep.

Emma was lying next to him, facing him, as if she had been watching him sleep, but her eyes were closed.

He had lived this moment before, of course, waking with a sleeping Swan next to him. Given the shift in her appearance, it surprised him how much she looked like his Emma in this moment. She was beautiful. 

The doorbell rang, and her eyes snapped open. 

"You're awake," she said.

"Aye. Were you sleeping?"

"Trying."

"Do you need to sleep, Swan?"

"No, but I can manage it when certain parameters are met," she replied. "Is it me, or has your pillow talk declined?"

"I had a dream. You said you couldn't sleep because you had no need of it," he replied as he rolled onto his back.

"What else did you dream?"

"Shouldn't you answer your door?"

"At least part of your dream was a memory," she said.

"Do I hear concern in your voice, Swan?"

"Apprehension," she replied.

"You'd think a woman who spent hours attempting to revive my memories would be pleased with some returning."

"I want you to remember but not through dreams."

"Because you can't control which memories return to me?" he asked.

"Because half the truth is always worse than a lie. You could dream an entire life in one night with only a single moment of true memory. But how do you know which is the memory and which is the dream?"

The doorbell rang again.

"Somebody is at your door, Swan. Will you leave them in suspense all night?"

"You can't believe all your dreams, Killian," she said. "No matter how much you may want to."

She pressed her lips into his delicately before she disappeared. He sat up and saw the dwindling light coming through the window. He thought he had slept into the night, but it was just past dusk.

Was she afraid that he'd remember something she didn't want him to? He couldn't help but consider the possibility that she was manipulating him. What would she do to him if he remembered something she didn't want him to?

The more he thought on it, the less it made sense. The last part of his dream couldn't have been a memory. Beyond the disembodied voice and Emma's family would never let him die without trying to save him. They were not the kind to stand idly by.

Yet it felt just as real as all the other moments he could recall. So, in that respect, Emma was right about dreams. How was he to know what was real? Killian's head hurt too much to think anymore.

 

Emma appeared downstairs by her front door. Henry and Belle were waiting outside. 

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her son. She had caught little more than glimpses of him since they returned to Storybrooke. And here he was, seeking her out against Regina's advice.

She opened the door.

"Henry, Belle," she said. 

"Mom, can we come in?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, sure kid. How did you find this place?"

"I tracked Hook's phone," Henry replied. "Is he okay? Can I see him?"

"He's better. I was actually going to order pizza. Have you eaten yet?" Emma asked.

"I, uh, well, no," Belle said, and Henry shook his head in agreement. "Would you mind if we joined you?"

"Not at all. Killian only eats plain, but I was planning on pepperoni and mushrooms. Sound good?" Emma asked.

"Aye," Killian said as he came down the stairs.

He had put on a t-shirt, socks, and pajama pants that Emma had left in the wardrobe for him. Even with his hook, he looked positively normal dressed in twenty-first century clothing.

"You're alive!" Henry said.

Her son bounded over to the pirate and gave him a sideways hug that Killian returned with one arm. It was adorable, her two boys together.

"Aye, mate, sore but on the mend."

"I'm glad to see you're all right," Belle said.

"As am I, though the thanks goes to Emma. I'm afraid I'm not a terribly cooperative patient," he replied. "Did I hear something about a meal? Escaping death has left me quite starved. And parched."

"Henry, would you mind setting the table while I get Killian some water?"

"Sure."

"You want anything Belle?"

"Iced tea, if it's not too much trouble," she replied.

Emma multitasked. She called the pizza place and gave them an order for pickup while pouring four waters and one ice tea. Henry put out plates, utensils, and paper towel for napkins, and they all sat at the table like a family.

It shouldn't make her feel so happy, but of course it did.

"Can I have soda?" Henry asked.

"Not this close to your bedtime," she replied.

"Nice try mate," Killian added.

"They said the pizza will take about fifteen minutes," Emma said. "So, anything interesting happen today?"

Henry started it with a laugh, and it sort of snowballed from there.

"Lily's trying to figure out who the third dragon is," Henry said once the laughter subsided.

"And Arthur's army marched into Storybrooke," Belle added. "And then back out again."

"And that curse thing was from Lancelot's cousins or something," Henry added.

"So, your average Storybrooke Wednesday, then?" Killian asked.

 

Belle was anxious. Her work had already been delayed enough as it was, but it seemed unkind to refuse dinner.

Emma teleported to pick up the pizza and returned in the next instant, and they had a lovely meal. Henry was very excited about his new storybook and its secret tales, so it became the focus of the conversation. Afterward, the discussion turned to Killian's recent brush with death, which he maintained was quite painful but otherwise said nothing about.

After his second slice, Henry's phone rang.

"It's my mom," he said. "I was supposed to be home by now."

Emma smiled. "Get your things, kid. I'll get you there in no time."

Henry grabbed his bag and said, "Cool. Mom, you know what? You should keep helping people."

"Sure kid," she replied. "Let's go."

They vanished, leaving Belle and Killian alone. She wasn't sure what to say to him, but then again that awkwardness was nothing new.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Aye, I'll live."

"And how's Emma?"

He gave her a weak smile. "There are times when I see the old Swan. Then there are times when I wonder if that is some manner of optical illusion. Tell me, did she slaughter all of Camelot?"

"No, why should she?" Belle asked.

"She said she would to get the antidote I required."

"As far as I know, she didn't hurt a soul."

"I didn't," Emma said as she reappeared in a swirl of silver smoke. "And for the record, Regina ripped out Arthur's heart, not me."

Belle wasn't sure what was going on between these two, but she didn't want to wear out her welcome.

"Emma, could I have a word?" she asked.

Emma nodded, yes. Then she turned to Killian. "Will you be all right?"

"Aye, love. Nothing a bit of sleep can't cure."

"Will you stay here until I get back?"

He gave her a curious look, but then nodded his head, yes.

Belle said, "We don't have to go anywhere, Emma. I just wanted to talk with you about - "

Silver mist enveloped her, and they were suddenly in Gold's Pawn Shop.

"Gold," Emma said, completing her thought. "I assumed you didn't come by for dinner."

"No, but thank you," Belle said. "The reason I was going to visit Killian this morning was to talk to you about Rumpel. I've these notes from Camelot, but there's nothing... can you help him? Can you heal him?"

Emma walked to the back room and Belle followed. When Rumpel was the Dark One, he made deals, but she had no idea if Emma operated on the same principles.

"I'm going to show you," Emma said. "Don't scream."

With that, she reached into Rumpel's chest and yanked out his heart, which was white as snow, clear as glass, beautiful. Belle jolted with dread.

"Relax, just look," she continued. "See his heart? It's a blank slate. This is what a baby's heart would look like. And Gold's heart shouldn't be like this. It should be black as tar."

"I remember," Belle said.

"I know you want him to get better, but I need you to look at this heart and think about it. The Darkness choked his heart, nearly killed him, but the Apprentice was able to draw it out, a minor miracle in its own right. If Gold wakes up, he'll remember all the things he's done. He'll remember all the things he knew about dark magic and Darkness. But he won't be trapped by those memories. They won't control him anymore."

"That's why he needs to wake up," Belle said. "All the terrible things he's done... I can let it go, in time. But I need time. This could be my chance to be with him, the man I know is in there."

"Imagine this heart, Belle," Emma said, holding it out to her. "Imagine that the very first thing this heart will feel is that same Darkness mending his body. His first memory of being free of dark magic will be of him being in its debt yet again. Look closely, and think about it. Do you really want the Dark One to heal him, knowing that that will be the price?"

Belle stared at his perfectly pure heart and realized what Emma was saying. Healing him meant flooding him with Darkness, and what would become of his new beginning? She wanted to believe he'd shrug off the Darkness, become a better man, but she knew him better than anyone. He had given in more times than he resisted, and she couldn't put him through that again. Something told her that a man indebted to the Darkness by the actions of his True Love - and she did love him, no matter how hard she tried to let him go - would be doubly damned in the process.

Emma returned the heart to Rumpel's chest, and he slumbered on. A petal fell from the rose. There were only two left.

Her eyes burned, and tears fell down her cheeks. Emma took a vial and captured one.

"What are you doing?" Belle asked.

"I might be able to extend his time or improve his healing," Emma said. "Without using dark magic. True Love's kiss is powerful, so maybe True Love's tears will be, too."

"You'd... you'd do that?"

"If you asked me to heal him, I would've, even though you wouldn't like the result," Emma replied. "The fact that you resisted makes me want to help you. Something about flipping off fate, I guess."

Belle smiled through her tears. "Thank you, Emma, for being honest with me. And for trying."

 

David held the door open for Snow. Once he was inside himself, he took off his sword, boots, belt, and coat while Snow put the kettle on. He was ready to collapse into bed and forget today ever happened.

"Oh, good, you're home," Aurora said as she came downstairs with Phillip Junior. "Neal's been getting on well with little Phillip all day, but I really should be getting home."

"Thank you so much for watching him, Aurora," Snow said.

"Don't mention it. I was thinking of starting a day care," Aurora continued. "You, me, and Ashley all have babies, but there are plenty of people who have toddlers or are on the expecting list."

Aurora handed off Phillip to Snow, so she could put on her coat. 

"Expecting?" David asked. 

"There's Zelena, obviously, but also Abigail and Frederick," Aurora replied. "But, I'm not supposed to tell anyone. Apparently, according to Doctor Whale, people keep pregnancies secret for nearly three months, even though you can find out right away. Isn't that an odd custom?"

"Yeah, this place has a lot of those," David said. "Let us know if you start the day care. It'd be good for Neal to spend time with children his age."

"I will. Good night," Aurora said as she slipped out the door with her son.

Snow paced in the kitchen as the water came to a boil.

"I thought we agreed to get some rest," he said, knowing his wife wouldn't sleep without it out of her system.

"I can't. It doesn't make any sense."

"Most things aren't making sense right now, Snow," he replied. "What did you and Lily find?"

"Camelot."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"There's an area that's kind of... warded, I guess, against magical detection and entry. Lily couldn't go in, so I did. There were farmlands, villages, towns, and the city of stone, David. Not just Camelot the city, but from what I saw, nearly all of the lands of the Broken Kingdom."

David asked, "All of this is in Storybrooke?"

"Yes, but it's hidden," Snow replied. "Why drag an entire kingdom here, remove everyone who lives there, and then hide it?"

"I dunno, maybe Emma needed an object or a person inside the kingdom, and the only way to guarantee it'd get here was to bring everything over."

Snow continued to pace after making them both hot cocoa with cinnamon on top. David didn't mind it, but it was more Snow's passion than his.

"What's really bothering you?" he asked. "Let's face it. Camelot in Storybrooke isn't that bad. Arthur and his people could go home, more or less, no magic required."

"I know that, David!" Snow snapped. Then she added, "Sorry, I just... how Emma talked with us. How she laughed at Arthur's heart. I don't know what to do, David."

"Hey, we'll figure it out," he replied, getting to his feet and embracing her. "She still cares about Hook, doesn't she? And Henry, too."

"I need to know what happened," Snow said. "What did we do in Camelot that made her so angry with us?"

"Don't think like that," he replied. "Mulan said something to me the other day, I wish I'd thought to tell you about it early. She said Darkness and evil aren't the same things. Neither is Light and good. I didn't really believe her when she said it, but this blessed and cursed sword has opened my eyes."

"So what, our daughter being cursed as the Dark One is a good thing?" Snow asked.

"No, I'm saying our daughter is dark, doing the right things for the wrong reasons, and that's not the same as evil. Look she came and helped me. She healed me and saved Whale's life. You can't say she doesn't care about us, Snow, otherwise she would've left me for dead."

Snow buried her face in his neck.

"If we win, Emma loses," she said. "And that basically means no matter what, we lose, too."

David wrapped his arms around his wife, desperately trying to sooth her.

 

Zelena didn't mind being alone. Her adoptive mother had loved her, there was no doubt about that, but she couldn't say the same for the man who pretended to be her father. She had been alone since the day her mother passed, though it took him a long while to admit it.

Here she was, sitting in an unflattering gown in the hospital wing, her swollen belly causing her back to ache. She could really use a more supportive mattress these days. Who left someone nearly four months pregnant without decent shoes or a seat with some kind of lumbar support?

Her musings were interrupted by a swirl of silver mist.

"The Dark Swan," she said without sitting up. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to blow this popsicle stand," Emma replied.

"Let me guess, you'll help me escape if I do something for you first?" she asked.

"Nope," Emma replied. "But if you're willing to take on a new job here at the hospital, I can arrange an apartment for you. And a better wardrobe."

"A job?" she asked. "Do you mean assassination? Or are we talking actual employment?"

"Actual employment," Emma replied. "You have powerful magic, which is basically just wasting away down here. I can't make people forgive or forget the whole curse time travel thing, but I can give you the leverage required for your freedom."

"Oh can you? What's to stop Regina from just trapping me down here after I pass your little test?"

"Me, obviously," Emma replied. "That is, until you become too useful to the others. Then they'll stop Regina from tossing you in here and throwing away the key."

"And what's to stop me from ripping out her heart and crushing it?" Zelena asked.

"Nothing," Emma replied. "Nothing to do with me, in any case. Tell you what, I'll let you sleep on it. Ta."

Then she vanished in a billow of silver mist.

Zelena sat up, confused. Why would the Dark One, who hated her, free her from this prison? Emma would only do that if it benefited her somehow. She could need something as simple as a distraction, but perhaps she wanted Regina or Robin dead.

She smiled as she relaxed back into her uncomfortable bed. It was entirely possible that the Dark Swan was an Emma she could get on board with. Oh, the possibilities really were endless, weren't they?

 

Lily arrived at the station very early in the morning, crashing into a fast-moving Ursula as she exited.

"Eyes up, lizard," Ursula huffed.

"Apparently even sea monsters need their coffee," Lily grumbled as the Sea Witch continued on her way.

She went into the Sheriff's Station and found Red, Snow, David, Regina, Grumpy, and one of the Lost Boys. She hadn't expected such a large group.

"Oh, good, you're here," Regina said. "Now maybe Snow will fill us in on what you two found."

"Camelot," Snow said.

The conversation sort of fell apart from there. The long and short of it was that they wouldn't tell anyone else about it until they knew more. Grumpy agreed to marshal the dwarfs and retrieve the Lancelot statue. while the Lost Boys kept an eye on the Camelot encampment from their tree roosts. With that, Grumpy departed, as did the Devon and the werewolf, who decided the Lost Boys may require assistance.

"Listen, this is all fine and everything," Lily said. "But I really need to speak with Emma. She might be able to figure out who this other dragon is."

"If she feels in the mood to help," Regina said. "She didn't seem overly concerned with anyone but Captain Guyliner yesterday."

"That's not true," Henry said as he and Robin stepped inside.

"Henry, you really shouldn't skip school," Regina said.

"We've still got an hour," Robin replied. "And he did call for someone to walk with him for his safety."

"Thank you for doing that," Regina said.

"Last night, Emma helped Belle," Henry pointed out. "And Hook. So maybe she'll help you, too, Lily."

 

Ursula waited for Ariel and Eric outside Gold's Pawnshop, and they came right on time.

"Belle told me she'd be ready in a few minutes," Ariel said by way of greeting. 

"When did you ask her?" Ursula asked.

"Eric texted her," she replied.

"Since Ariel's phone was dead," he added.

Ursula opened the shop door, and all three stepped inside. Belle was wearing a red leather top that laced together like a corset and dark colored pants. Ursula wondered if this was some kind of waterproof wardrobe.

Belle fiddled with a strap on a large case as she spoke. "I know I'm running a bit late, but I figured we'd need to bring supplies, and this strap is enchanted so you'll never drop whatever it's attached to."

"We are traveling through an underwater portal," Ursula said. "Maybe it's best to travel light."

"Believe me, this is light," Belle said. "I'd rather avoid asking Elsa and Anna for help, if we can."

"You know the Queen of Arendelle?" Ariel asked.

"I've met her before," Eric replied. "She's quite kind. I've no doubt she'd help us if we asked it of her."

"When Elsa was here, she and Emma became close," Belle explained, finally getting the strap into place. "I'm not sure how she'd react to the news of her becoming the Dark One. Besides, she has a kingdom to run. Are we ready to go?"

"We are if you are," Ursula replied.

Belle smiled as she threw the strap over her head and pulled the case to her body. She flipped the sign on the door and left, followed by the two love birds, with Ursula behind them. When she shut the door, there was a strong clicking sound as it behind her.

 

The moment Gold's shop was locked and empty, Emma teleported into the back room, where Rumpel remained in a coma. The rose by his bedside still had two petals.

"Looks like it's just you and me, buddy," Emma said.

Silver mist filled the room as she transported him, leaving the enchanted rose behind.

 

"What if your father isn't a dragon like you and your mom?" Henry asked. 

"You mean, what if he's like a regular dragon-dragon? As in, not human at all?" Lily asked.

"No, I'm talking about this," he replied as he removed the storybook from his bag.

"I already read that," she said.

"Yeah, but I read through these stories the other night," Henry replied. "And I found something. You need to read this one: Waters of Return."

 

* * *

**Waters of Return**   


Once upon a time, there was a General who worked to unite the broken lands. His wife, a noble duchess, died giving birth to their only son, a boy named Arthur. Though his progress slowed during his courtship and then later during his grief, the General was very close to bringing the lands under his rule.

Everyone believed that his son would be the future, the one who led the united kingdom into a golden age.

But then the General became very ill, such that he struggled to walk even a short distance. No medicine alleviated his sickness, and his troops faltered without his guidance. A gathering of a terrible army forced them to march on Verulamium, and his enemies taunted him as the Half-Dead King. So the General, though very near death, mounted his horse and led his soldiers into a glorious victory.

As they celebrated the victory at Verulamium, the General rested and called on the Magus who once saved his son's life.

The Magus came, as she always had, and the General begged her to remedy his illness.

"I cannot," she explained. "This sickness is not natural. It is the price of magic come due. But if it helps, I have something that may ease your payment."

"Please, anything," the General said.

She produced a mason jar of water and said, "This is from Lake Nostos. The water there has magical properties, the ability to return things that were once lost. If you drink it, it may return your health to you."

"Thank you," the General said as he took the water.

Then he drank it down in one gulp.

The General didn't realize that not all things that are lost are desirable, for many years ago, he committed murder to win himself a bride and heir. His crimes were unknown, and he escaped justice because his transgressions were lost to him. But the moment he swallowed that water, those sins returned, and his punishment came due in full force.

Thus, the boy named Arthur became an orphan at age two.

Some say that the General died that day, the Magus failing to revive him, but no one could be certain because, five days later, hours before his burial, a horrifying dragon destroyed his casket, stealing his body and rising into the sky.

There have been many whispers that that dragon did not steal the General's body, but rather the punishment for his sins, the price of magic, was that the General be forced to take the form of a dragon, to be a steed of the skies in the service of some dark wizard.

No matter the reason, two days after the General's body disappeared, those put in charge of protecting his son were killed performing their duty, as was the boy destined to rule the broken lands as a united kingdom.

* * *

 

Killian stayed the night because Emma had made a compelling argument. He knew his ship was unsafe, as Arthur's men made that clear enough, but what would stop them from barging in on Snow and David's loft or Regina's mansion? It made sense to stay somewhere that Arthur didn't know of yet.

He also wanted to spend more time with her, so he could figure out her end game. Why curse them back to Storybrooke without one?

She put him to bed, but she wasn't there when he woke. He felt much better than he had the night previous, so he stretched and wandered down the stairs to see if Swan kept her kitchen stocked. He felt strange, probably because before their Camelot adventure, he would've been ecstatic to wake up in Emma's house and share breakfast with her.

Now it felt obligatory. He wasn't her lover or boyfriend or whatever nonsense people in this realm called such things. He was a pawn and a spy, distracting the Dark One and winning her trust.

"Killian," Emma said as he came into the kitchen.

"Ah, Swan," he said. "Good morning."

"You seem better."

"I am," he replied. "And I had a few questions for you, love, if you don't mind me asking."

"I might not be able to answer them."

"Yesterday, I remembered this cabin we stayed at. Seems we'd been staying there for a while," he said. "Alone, just you and me. Where was everybody else?"

"In Camelot," she replied.

"And we simply left them?" he asked. "Even Henry?"

"Henry had Regina and Robin and my parents," she said. "And he had a bit of a crush."

"Did he indeed?"

"Yes."

"I also recalled a lake," he continued. "I admit the details escape me, but I rode there against your wishes to save you. I was quite sure you would've drown had I not arrived when I did. Then I was concerned about hypothermia. But that doesn't make any sense, because you're the Dark One. You can't drown or freeze to death, Swan. So what was I afraid of?"

"You weren't afraid I'd die, Killian," she replied. "That lake... do you remember anything else about it?"

"Other than the water was bloody freezing, no," he replied.

"It's the sister lake to Lake Nostros. It's waters have magical properties," she said. "I went there for help fighting the Darkness."

"Clearly it failed, as you've embraced it."

She didn't reply to that, but she did set out breakfast. 

"You should eat, I have a favor to ask of you, and something tells me you won't like it," she said.

"What favor is that?" he asked as he helped himself to toast.

"I need you to work with Zelena to save Gold."

He nearly spat out his orange juice.

"You want me to save the Crocodile's life by working with the Wicked Witch?" he asked.

"Henry asked me to help people. Belle asked me to save Rumpel. Doing that with dark magic will end badly, so I found another way," she replied. "The healing spell requires that the two people he hurt and hurt him in return tend to his injuries."

"Surely the Crocodile is not stretched for people he's hurt in this town," he replied. "Your parents would qualify, would they not?"

"Not the way that the man who stole his wife and shot his girlfriend would," Emma replied. "Or the way the woman who killed his son would. Only you and Zelena can save him."

"Just because the Crocodile doesn't have his teeth anymore doesn't mean he still won't bite, Swan."

"Do you want to tell Belle her husband is dead?" 

He continued with his breakfast, not sure how to respond. On the one hand, she seemed willing to aid Belle for no compensation. On the other, helping his oldest enemy seemed quite stupid in and of itself.

When he finished his meal, he realized he really didn't have a choice. If Emma was trying to help people, he couldn't be the one standing in her way.

"Very well, Swan, I'll work with the Wicked Witch, but if she turns me into a simian - "

"She won't," Emma said, interrupting. 

She swooped in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered. "When you're ready, come to the workshop outside the house."

Killian took care of his dishes and went upstairs to find more appropriate attire. His usual vest and trousers were laid out on the bed, as if Emma had nipped up here after she left. He dressed quickly and made his way out the front door, hoping that the 'workshop' Emma had referred to was the medium-sized hut on the other side of the driveway.

He opened the door to find the Crocodile unconscious on a cot with Zelena and Emma standing over him.

"Strange bedfellows," he commented under his breath. 

"Oh, good, the pirate's here," Zelena said.

He was ready to retreat when he saw Zelena no longer wore the black cuff that restricted her magic. She raised her hand and brought it down in a menacing manner, and Emma rolled her eyes.

Nothing happened. 

"What is this?" Zelena said, her eyes going wide. "You said I'd have my magic!"

"You do."

"Then why is he still standing?" she said, pointing at Killian. "He should be crashed into the wall."

"Probably because you can only cast certain kinds of spells, use certain kinds of magic," Emma replied.

Zelena bore down on Emma, shoving her bodily into the wall. Her hand went around Emma's neck and squeezed, and Killian drew his sword.

Emma flicked her off with two fingers.

"Believe it or not, I'm not the only one in town who might do something to harm you," Emma said. "I told you, if you did this, you can have a job. Healing magic."

"Healing magic?" Zelena repeated with distain. "You're telling me someone other than you has devised a way to force me into using my magic to heal people?"

"The healing stones of Camelot," Killian said, the words falling out of his mouth.

"The what?" Zelena asked.

"The Healers of Camelot wear a pendant like the one Glinda gave you. It focuses their magic or something to that effect. If they take it off, their magic goes with it, like a baby and the bathwater," he replied. Then he added, "Henry told me about it after reading through Belle's notes from Camelot."

"So I'm to believe the words of a thirteen-year-old as parroted by a pirate?"

"Are you going to do this or what?" Emma asked.

"Fine, but rest assured, I'll get my magic back," she hissed. "That pendant Glinda gave me didn't tether my magic for more than a few hours."

Emma didn't seem overly concerned. She handed them both eyedroppers.

"Zelena helped with the core potion, so all you have to do now is shake these for one minute, then let them rest for two more," she explained. "Then one of you needs to put three drops in one eye, and the other puts three drops in the other. Got it?"

"Fine," Zelena said.

Killian nodded, yes.

"For this to work, I need to leave you two in here with him and shut the door," Emma said. "Can I trust you both to do this without maiming or killing Gold or one another?"

"We'll see, now won't we?" Zelena said. 

Emma gave him a small smile and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.

"Shall we?" Killian asked. 

Zelena rolled her eyes but shook the vial as requested for exactly sixty seconds. He wondered why she would bother with any of this. Even if Emma freed her, surely Regina would return her to her cell come hell or high water.

They set their droppers down to wait for two minutes, and for a fleeting instant, Killian wondered if he might endure this particular trial in peace.

"You know she's using you," Zelena said. "It's what the Dark One does. Manipulates people."

"Aye, but Emma asked me to do this to help Belle, and I owe that woman an apology or two."

"By saving the man you loathe?"

"If that's what it takes."

Zelena laughs. "Has she told you what happened in Camelot yet?"

"What does it matter to you?" he asked.

"Let's just say, she told me I could have my magic back, but she failed to mention the caveat," she replied. "Why does it matter to me that you're being a fool and playing into her hands? Because I want to screw her over, even if the only way to do that is to open your dim-witted eyes."

"Thirty more seconds," he said impatiently. 

"Let me guess, she's told you a few things, but nothing that makes sense," Zelena said. "You remember things that happen, but the motivations don't add up?"

He shook his head, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of an answer. Fifteen more seconds.

She laughed. "She did, didn't she? For a pirate, you're a damn fool. Those are classic signs of someone inventing memories. Go ahead and ask anyone here that Regina cursed."

"Times up," he said, taking up his eye dropper.

He was actually surprised when Zelena pulled back the Crocodile's left eyelid and put three drops in. Not willing to be outdone, he followed suit.

"You want to be her lapdog, her puppet, fine," Zelena said. "But don't forget what this man here did to Belle when she was the only thing in this world he cared for. If you think Emma's far from that, you're wrong."

"Don't compare Emma to the Crocodile, witch!"

She smiled and said, "This is too rich. You know what, believe every word she says. I'm going to love the look on your face when you realize how much she's been playing you."

Then Zelena rushed out the door, leaving Killian with a pit in his stomach. Hearing someone reaffirm his own fears did nothing for his spirits. Before he could think too hard on it, Emma came back in.

"Killian? Are you all right?"

"Sticks and stones, Swan," he replied. "I'm afraid there have been no signs of life from the Crocodile."

"He'll be asleep for a bit longer," she replied. "It'd be best if he wakes up in a familiar environment. I'll take him home. Would you mind going to the station and filling my parents in?"

"So you can continue to avoid them?" he asked.

"Because they'll be freaking out about Zelena. Someone should tell them about her magic being restricted."

"How ever did you manage that?"

"I didn't. It happened back in Camelot, she just can't remember."

"She's not the only one," he said.

She didn't reply. Instead, she went over to the Crocodile and sat by his bed, checking his pulse. It almost seemed like she cared.

"Thank you, Killian," she said before vanishing them both in a swirl of silver mist.

 

Snow and David had been talking in circles. They couldn't help on the memory problem without Blue or one of the fairies, and they were still juggling patients with Whale. They couldn't do anything about the Scourge of Ban until Arthur underwent the Rite of Testimony, which was still twenty-nine days away. They couldn't find out what happened to Lancelot until the dwarfs returned with his statue. They couldn't help Emma because she wouldn't talk to them. 

At this point, she felt like she couldn't do anything at all. She considered the possibilities for Emma taking their memories, and the only conclusion she could draw was that they learned too much in Camelot. And with villains, and she had to consider the distinct possibility that Emma was a villain now, that meant that they had a plan. And those plans were never good.

Purple mist filled the room, and Regina and Robin appeared.

"We've got an enormous problem," Regina said. "Zelena is missing."

"Taken from her room in the hospital," Robin said. "Nurse Rachet reported it to us five minutes ago."

"Did she say anything else?" David asked.

"No, which means whoever did it teleported in and out," Regina said. "And it wasn't me."

"You think it was Emma," Snow said. "Of course. Why wouldn't she take the Wicked Witch out of her cell?"

"Calm down, maybe there's a logical explanation," David said.

"I can't speak to whether it was logical or not, but Emma was behind it. And there was a reason," Killian said as he entered.

"Hook," Snow said. "You're all right."

"Oh, who cares about the pirate?" Regina asked. "What the hell is going on with my crazy sister?"

Killian replied, "She's free of her cell and is no longer wearing the cuff, but - "

"She has her magic?!" Regina roared, interrupting.

"Aye, but she can only cast healing spells," he replied before she could continued. "Believe me, she tried to cast something else."

"Why would Emma let Zelena out?" Robin asked.

"Belle asked Emma to save the Crocodile," he replied. 

"She could do that with her little finger," Regina said dismissively.

"Except that would require using dark magic on Gold," David said. "Which is probably not a good idea."

"Aye, Emma said much the same," Killian said. "She asked me to come here and explain it to you, so I did. Also, assuming it worked, the Crocodile will recover soon. So there's that."

"That's it, I'm done with this!" Regina shouted. "Emma Swan, Emma Swan, Emma Swan!"

"Regina, don't - " Snow began.

But it was too late. Silver-and-gray mist filled the room, and Emma appeared. 

"That was abrupt," Emma commented. "What can I do for you, Regina?"

"What can you do? How about giving us back our memories? Or locking my sister back up? Or telling us what the hell is going on?"

"Why would I do any of those things?" Emma asked.

"Because this isn't you," Regina replied. "You never wanted to be the Dark One. You only did it to save me!"

"She's right, Emma," Snow said. "This isn't what you wanted."

Emma smiled, "Since when have you cared about what I wanted?"

"We're your parents," Snow said. "All we've ever wanted was for you to be happy."

"What did you do in Camelot that was so bad you needed to make us forget it all?" Regina asked. 

"Me?" Emma said. "What makes you it was something I did?"

"In fairness, what other cause would you have to make everyone forget?" Robin asked. "It's either that or you're planning something you don't want us to know about."

"Emma, if you tell us, we can help you," Snow said.

Emma seemed to consider her words for a moment, but then a smile appeared on her face that had nothing of her old self in it.

"Did you ever think that it isn't about something I did or something I'm going to do?" Emma asked. "Maybe it's not about me at all."

"Whatever it is, you don't have to keep it from us," Snow said. "It doesn't matter, Emma. We won't give up on you."

Emma laughed, but it was mirthless and hollow, nothing like her at all.

"You two gave up on me before I was even born," Emma said to her parents. "At the mere suggestion that I could, possibly go dark - "

"That's not fair, Emma," Snow said, interrupting.

"Least of all to me," she replied. "Did you even ask the Apprentice to explain what he was doing?"

"He told us he could remove your dark potential and put it in another vessel," David replied. 

"And that didn't sound too good to be true to either of you?" Emma asked.

"No, he explained it," Snow replied. "He said that we're all born with the potential for light and dark, and in your case, you had a great potential for both."

"With the gift of freewill to decide between the two," Emma said.

Snow's confusion spread to her face. The Apprentice had said those exact words, but she didn't recall telling her about that conversation in such detail.

"Oh," Regina said, as if something had just occurred to her.

She glanced over to her husband and saw that he was lost as well. What were they missing?

"You really don't get it," Emma said. "You'd think with the future of your child on the line, you'd given it more consideration."

"Emma, we regret that decision," David said. "We've regretted it once we realized the cost."

"You're referring to the cost to Lily," Emma said. "Not the cost to me. We are all born with potential for light and dark with free will to choose. Except for me and Lily. When you removed my dark potential, you removed a part of my free will."

"What? No," Snow said. "That's not... that's not what happened. We would've never done it if that was the case." 

Emma shook her head, her expression cold and harsh. 

"Emma, we never would've done it if we'd known," Snow said, pleading for her daughter to hear her.

"Are you sure about that?" Emma asked. "Because one sorceress tells you that I might become a villain, and you go chasing after unicorns and whatever you can to ensure that doesn't happen." 

"I saw what your future would be if you went dark, Emma," Snow said. "It was bleak and terrible, and I wanted better for you."

"I don't think I had anything at all to do with that decision," she replied casually. "Let's face it, both of you were worried I would become a villain because, well, how could you love me then?"

"We love you," David said. "We've always loved you."

"We love you, no matter what you've done," Snow said.

Emma laughed again, but this time it was as if she found humor in the situation. As if everything Snow said to her daughter was a joke.

"Maybe I took your memories because of something that happened in Camelot," Emma said. "Isn't it possible that the two of you realized that, yes, you wanted a daughter, and yes, you needed a savior, but when you discovered that this was the only version left of me, I wasn't enough for you? That you couldn't love me as the Dark One? Maybe you even came to understand that you haven't actually loved me at all. Maybe forcing you two to relive that exact moment - the one where you recognized that everything you've ever told me about hope and faith and love was really a lie you've been telling yourselves - is the best revenge I could ever ask for."

As she spoke, Emma's face was gleeful and wrathful, horrifying on so many levels. Snow had seen expressions like that before, back when Regina was the Evil Queen, describing a particularly dreadful deed.

Then she returned to her casual, nonchalant Dark One face and said, "Or maybe I do have some evil plot you all should be afraid of. Best get your memories back to be sure."

"Emma, we love you," David said, squeezing Snow's hand. "You have to know that we love you."

"If this is what your love is, then I don't want it," Emma snapped, her anger coming out in full force. "Until I became the Dark One, I didn't know what free will was. I didn't know what it was like to choose, to actually make a choice for myself. And maybe I could live with that, but for a very long time, I hated myself for giving Henry up. I justified it, saying I wasn't ready, that I had nothing to give him, that I couldn't be his mother. But the truth is I didn't choose to give Henry up at all. My destiny, the greater good, required it, so I did it, even though I didn't have a reason. And I hated myself for it. If I could, if I had the ability to choose, I would've kept my son. I would've been his mother since the day he was born, and I would've loved him and been proud of him. But I didn't get to make that choice because of you. Both of you."

Her entire body was raked with fury, and Snow felt a combination of panic and fear welling up in her. To think that they'd hurt so many people with one stupid, rash decision... to think that Emma lost her child because of it. She bit her tongue to fight the tears.

"Emma, they didn't know," Regina said. "They're not the first parents in the world to make a mistake trying to ensure their child's future."

"A mistake?" Emma repeated. "I think I should make something clear. I was aware before that this town is filled with people who have done nothing but make my life miserable. You," she pointed to Regina, "you just needed to have your revenge, didn't you? And Gold needed a Savior to break the curse so he could go looking for his son. And because of that, I had no one and nothing for twenty-eight years. And because of them," she pointed to Snow and David, "I was condemned to my destiny, forced to do things because it was for the greater good and not even knowing why. August ensured that the one person I did find here, Neal, abandoned me. Why? August wanted his father back. I could go on, listing everyone who's benefitted from my misery, but you can imagine, that's a long list. I knew all this, but I was a slave to the light, I forgave and forgot or avoided. I lived for the future and didn't think about the past. But that's not true anymore. I'm done sacrificing to make other people happy, and I'm done forgiving people who don't deserve it." 

Emma turned, addressing everyone in the room in a completely different manner, her body language and tone turning on a dime. She continued, "Maybe I freed Zelena because I know what it's like to be pregnant and behind bars, and even the she doesn't deserve that. Maybe I have a nefarious reason for freeing her. To distract you or attack you or just to make life a little more difficult. Maybe I did it because I want revenge on her, and what could be sweeter than watching her struggle with the realization that the only magic she'll has left is healing, and there's no way to reverse it. Hell, maybe it's all of those things. Maybe I don't even know myself. Does it really matter?"

"She killed Neal!" Regina protested.

"And you killed Graham," Emma retorted.

The temperature plummeted as Emma and Regina stared daggers at each other. 

Snow wanted to say something, anything, to show her daughter that she understood. She understood Emma's fury and bitterness with them, all of them. She had faced more obstacles than anyone else, but she had kept her good heart, a feat that was a testament to her fortitude and strength. She wanted to tell Emma that she knew she'd failed her before she was born. She wanted to beg Emma to forgive her and David, to give them a chance to fix what they had broken, because they were her parents and they loved her. They just needed time to show her.

But the way her daughter spoke to her, the words she said, echoed in her mind, imprinting there forever. It felt like she was drowning, being pulled under after just catching her breath, knowing she wouldn't have the strength to rise again. She once had a vision of Emma crushing her heart in her hands, and the pain in that moment was nothing compared to the emotional torrent threatening to rip her apart. She held back not to save face but to keep her head on straight. Still, tears stained her cheeks and burned her eyes, threatening to pour out of her in a wail of grief and frustration that she'd never quite known before.

Emma's eyes broke away from Regina and came to settle on the Killian, who had been hanging back from the conversation, lurking. He took a few steps forward, as if her gaze drew him out, and Emma deflated a little. Was she apprehensive about Killian seeing her this way? Or was Snow just grasping at straws?

"Emma, why did you free Zelena?" he asked simply. "You could've shoved her back into her cell after she helped heal the Crocodile."

"I didn't free Zelena because she helped Gold," Emma replied, speaking to Killian as if he was the only one in the room. "I freed her because, back in Camelot, the Wicked Witch of the West helped me when no one else would. I owed her. Or, I did. Past tense."

She gave him a small, sad smile and vanished in a swirl of darkness.

Snow wasn't sure what to say, but she opened her mouth, hoping the words would come to her in the moment. Instead, a wailing cry cascaded from her, and she felt the strength leave her body as she crashed to the floor. 

She held out hope in the darkest moments. That's how she survived them, she hoped for a better future. But if Emma meant anything she said, even just a little bit, then what hope was there? If they could end the Dark One curse, would that save Emma? Would she return to her former self? Or would it change her forever, staining her good heart?

Despair surrounded her as David knelt down and wrapped his arms behind her.

 

 **The Enchanted Forest**. An entire village of people traveled together, bedraggled and weary as they trudged on. They had little more than the cloths on their backs and a water skin each, and those were nearly empty.

From time to time, someone would stumble and fall to the barren ground, kicking up a layer of dust. There was nothing around them save for miles and miles of the same bleak landscape. 

Finally, after endless walking, they approached the shoreline of the ocean. Others had gathered there, huddled in dirty (and some, bloody) clothing along the bare remnants of what once was likely a harbor. Many were working, removing wooden planks and transforming them into spears or rafts, but they had precious little to work with.

A few ships were anchored far from shore, flying the flags of Arendelle.

Night fell. The world shook. Those along the shore turned their eyes away from the water in front of them to the desolate earth behind them, pure terror on their faces. A commotion erupted. Some grabbed a plank of wood and leapt into the ocean, paddling desperately to the ships far out at sea, though most would never make it that far. Others took up spears, their hands trembling with their puny weapons, their faces steeled for what came next.

As those who kept their heads hastily finished their makeshift rafts, the bravest of the lot raised their spears and ran towards the approaching enemy. 

Ogres. Not just two or three, but an entire horde. They were armed with rocks and a few with spears, but they needed no weapons to kill humans. They cut down those brave souls with their bare hands, ripping limb from limb as they slaughtered their prey. The rest of the horde wasn't halted by the feeble line of defense, blowing passed those being dismembered to seek new victims.

A few savvy warriors stood fast, hurling spears at the onslaught of ogres in a desperate attempt to hold them back just enough to allow the rafts, which were almost entirely filled with children, to break from the shore. Ogres fell as the sure-sighted spear-wielders hit their marks, piercing their eyes. But the victory was short lived, as there were more ogres than spears. Soon they had nothing more to throw, and they, too, fell prey to the violent fury of their foes.

Some ogres ran up to the shore, stopping just before the water. As a species, ogres were blind and had no ability to swim, and almost all of them feared the water. Perhaps their slaughter emboldened them, however, as three waded out into the water after the rafts, daring to risk drowning for the joy of a few kills.

They neared one of the rafts, the crying passengers all frantically paddling with their hands, trying to escape their horrible fate.

One of the ogres abruptly disappeared beneath the waves, bubbles erupting to the surface for a few moments before going still. Likewise, a second vanished, but the third closed in on the raft, its bloodied hands nearly snatching someone from the edge. 

Tentacles erupted from the water, and Ursula the Sea Witch rose from the water as the ogre went down, never to rise again. Ariel appeared and placed her hands on the escape raft, propelling it with her tail to the Arendelle ships in a matter of minutes.

A few chanced a glance back to the barren land they left behind. The ogre horde sniffed the air and left as one massive flock to slaughter some other hapless people stranded on another shore. In their wake, torsos, limbs, and heads were scattered and covered with a layer of dust, and blood tainted the water as the tide rose.

Rumpel jolted awake in his own bed, the luxurious sheets sticking to his clammy skin and his heart beating hard in his chest. He ran his hand over his torso, feeling his fingertips brush his center.

He was no longer the Dark One.

He was alive.

And he was alone.

He couldn't expect Belle to remain at his side, not after all the things he'd done. He wasn't sure why he was alive, but he did know why he had such terrible dreams.

Rumpel was now a full-blown Seer.

He absorbed the power of one a long time ago, but as the Dark One, his magic offset the more troublesome aspects of the Seer's abilities, namely the terrifying dreams. It had been like he was there, watching the ogres wreak havoc on innocents lost in a wasteland.

Apparently, when the Apprentice siphoned off the darkness from his heart, he only removed those powers associated with the Dark One. He had amassed magic of all kinds during his time as the darkest wizard in the land, but most of it was in the form of wands or other enchanted objects.

Unfortunately, the magic of the Seer was inborn. When he took her gift and burden, it became his. He would See until the day he died, and while his heart ached over Belle and over his past mistakes, the overwhelming feeling he had was fear. Fear of being a Seer, of living with this burden, of being a helpless recipient of the future he no longer wanted to see.

Seeing the future came with a peculiar feeling that set it apart from random imaginings, delusions, hallucinations, and anything conjured from magic or the subconscious. His dream forecast horrific events, but he had no way of knowing how far off it was. Not anymore. As the Dark One, he had so much more control over what he saw and when he saw it. He had been able to direct his future-eye and even rewind it to get and idea of the time frame. 

Rumpel sat up, hoping to clear his mind and figure out how it was he was even still alive. He looked around the room and saw that Belle had been here recently, her pillow had strands of her hair with something of her scent lingering on the sheets. His heart beat faster with the glimmer of hope that she might try to forgive him.

Then his eyes fell on a pen and notebook on his bedside table. He hadn't put them there, and given the Seer's eye depicted on the cover, he doubted Belle had left it for him, either. No, someone in this town must've known that reviving him meant he would be a Seer, and so they left him with the only tool that could help him: the Seer's Journal. He had read about this a long time ago, an enchanted object that allowed Seers modicum of relief. When a Seer recorded a vision in their journal, it enabled their memory of it to fade. 

It might be enough to save his sanity.

Rumpel picked up the journal and pen and began to record was he saw, every detail, hoping he'd be able to keep his wits about him long enough to reconnect with Belle, even if only to apologize and set what little he could right between them.

 

Emma smiled as the words appeared before her. Gold had woken up, and his visions were already working. Her fingers smoothed down the pages as images erupted across them, the words appearing alongside them. 

Her transference spell worked. Whenever Gold recorded a vision in his Seer's Journal, she'd have record of it, along with strong mental impressions and images that the recording process conjured up.

It only seemed fair. It would keep him sane, which was far more than he deserved, and in return, it kept her informed. 

And according to his recent vision, Ursula would soon be in the Enchanted Forest with Ariel rescuing whatever poor souls were stranded on that barren scrap of land.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.

She smiled. She felt so much better after the ordeal with her parents at the police station. It wasn't relief, exactly, but pushing their buttons allowed her to burn up some of her rage. 

She didn't relish the fact that inflicting emotional turmoil worked as a remedy for her own, but she accepted it for what it was. 

One step closer.

 

Henry took the school bus to the stop on Main Street, hoping to go to the Sheriff's station an lend a hand, but when he saw Killian waiting for him, he knew that wasn't going to happen.

"You have a good day at school, lad?"

"It was okay," he replied. "Which one of my moms sent you?"

"Who said anybody sent me?"

"I doubt you're waiting for me because you want to," he replied.

"Nonsense," Killian said. "I thought it'd be nice to walk you home, since I've not seen much of you."

"So Regina sent you," Henry said.

"Hardly. She said she was going to walk you home, and I asked if I could have honor."

Henry smiled and nodded his head, and they set off for Regina's mansion, which was a few miles on the sidewalk. He was happy for the company, though he knew it meant something bad had happened.

"So, what did she do?" Henry asked.

"Regina? Nothing, lad."

"You know that's not who I mean. Someone walking me home from the bus stop so I won't go to the station means that something bad happened, and no one wants me to know, which means it's about my mom."

"Well, first things first, it's not that no one wants you to know," Killian said. "But perhaps most don't want you involved. Emma decided to help Belle with the Crocodile - "

Henry interrupted, "So, my grandpa's okay?"

"In fact, he is, though I've not seen him woken up meself, Regina reported that he is awake."

"Isn't that a good thing?" he asked.

"Aye, lad," Killian replied. "Unfortunately, in order to heal the man, Emma required help from me and Zelena."

Henry's stomach clenched at the thought of the Wicked Witch out and about. She'd go after Robin, or Roland, or his mom, or maybe all of them.

"Worry not," Killian continued. "Someone turned her into a Healer of Camelot, so she can only do healing magic. Unfortunately, her freedom has caused a bit of distress, as you can imagine, and it resulted in a very unfortunate row between Emma, her parents, and Regina."

"Wait, what? Are they - did they - "

Killian interrupted, "I said a row, Henry, not a fight. Deeply unpleasant though the argument was, hurtful words were the only things exchanged."

"Did she tell you what happened in Camelot?" he asked.

"Not exactly, though she provided some insight on her current... demeanor," he replied. "I'm not sure how much I should tell you, lad. I've a feeling that, in due time, she'll tell you herself. Perhaps you can tell me more about this storybook you were going on about last night at dinner."

Henry happily obliged him, telling him all about the secret chapters that appeared. He explained that he was working on a way to identify the people in the stories, since there weren't proper names, but with all the history of Camelot erased from this realm, he was struggling with it.

As they approached the mansion, Killian made a suggestion.

"What about using one of those maddening boxes to connect to the internet thing Belle keeps mentioning?" Killian asked. "All the stories from the real Camelot - the one that actually exists in the Enchanted Forest - were erased, but the legends and myths from this realm about the fictional Camelot still exist. If we can believe that those stories are based on some grain of truth, perhaps they'll provide some insight."

"Good idea," Henry said. "Will you check on my mom for me?"

"You could always call her," Killian said. "She said she'd like it if you did."

"Really?"

"Aye, lad."

"All right, but can you drop by and visit her?" Henry asked. "If she did have an argument, she shouldn't be alone."

"Perhaps, but even though I wasn't part of it, I doubt she wants my company."

"You're wrong," Henry said as he walked to the door. "She might not want to talk about it, but she'd want company. When she'd fight with Regina or my grandparents or just have a bad day, I'd ask if we could watch a movie. She wouldn't have to be alone, but we wouldn't have to talk."

"A clever method, I'll give you that," Killian replied. "Regina asked me to remind you to do your homework before anything else."

Henry rolled his eyes but nodded. He opened the front door and stepped inside.

"Thanks, Hook."

Henry went upstairs and took out his new storybook. Killian's suggestion was good, though given how wrong the stories in this land got Peter Pan, he wasn't sure if he could trust it. But it was somewhere to start.

He flipped to the table of contents and read down the page again, wondering which story he should choose.

He paused over the story called 'Protection of the Sword,' which had a symbol next to it. The symbol translated to 'Caliburn.'

Henry blinked. He didn't know how he knew that, as he didn't recognize the symbol, and he wasn't able to read it earlier. But right now, its meaning was as plain as if it were written in English. 

It must be an Author thing. 

He looked up 'Caliburn' on the internet and saw that it was another name for Excalibur. 

But that couldn't be right. King Arthur had Excalibur in the real Camelot. He remembered that much about their trip. But he'd read that story before, and if the sword in it was Excalibur, then it would be impossible to curse Camelot. 

That meant that Arthur and all the Camelot subjects should've been back in the Enchanted Forest.

Henry opened to the story to read it through again.

 

* * *

**The Protection of the Sword [Caliburn]**   


Once upon a time, there was the King of the Broken Lands who ruled over many of those lands as a united kingdom. He fought for his position until he had proven himself to the people of the Broken Lands that he was, in fact, their King. 

This King had a powerful sword, and legend foretold that that very sword would one day protect the entire kingdom from every form of ill. For many years, the King quested for a way to unleash the sword's potential, but he found no success.

Until one day, the Queen returned with an enchanted cup that contained a message and a spell from the most powerful sorcerer in all the lands. The King and Queen, both wise and humble, kept as much secret as possible, but all the kingdom knew that the King gave up his most powerful weapon so that his kingdom would fall under the full protection of the sword.

From the moment the King and Queen enacted the spell, all those who lived in the kingdom were protected from every ill, from enemies to traitors to the natural ills of the world, such as pandemics. 

It is said that even the Dark Curse, the most dangerous curse in all the realms, could not touch the kingdom, so powerful was the thrall of the sword. All the rulers of the other kingdoms of the broken lands sought to pledge their swords to the King so that their people would receive the sword's protection. 

Within three month's time, every kingdom within the Broken Lands joined the one united kingdom, finally fulfilling the prophecy that the King and Queen would rule the now unbroken kingdom. 

All across the land, people celebrated the Protection of the Sword.

* * *

 

Lily hadn't contacted Emma because the moment she picked up her cell phone to call her, she saw the other dragon flying overhead. She transformed and gave chase. 

This time, she flew up above him, circling overhead so she wouldn't waste energy trying to keep up. The other dragon was faster and more experienced, but she could see more from above, giving her the edge she needed to follow.

Lily was tired and frustrated, and all she wanted to know was who this dragon was. 

When the opportunity presented itself, she hurled herself to the ground on a collision course, driving the other dragon down in an attempt to force a landing. 

Unfortunately, she overestimated her ability to slow her descent, and she plowed right into the other dragon. Together they spiraled through the air, crashing in a residential area.

 

Emma wasn't really watching the TV. Her head was on Killian's chest, and his arm was around her. She breathed him in, savored the physical contact, and loved every second of it.

She hadn't expected him to come to her doorstep with a movie (Gremlins), which he rented from the library. She thought he'd give her a wide berth after witnessing the argument she and her parents had. He had every reason to, after all. No one knew what made her so angry, so everyone assumed it was the Darkness of the Dark One tainting her personality.

It wasn't, but she didn't think she could convince him that her anger was reasonable. The only thing worse than living with what happened when no one else knew would be for her to tell Killian the truth and him not believing it. She couldn't take that. She just couldn't.

But he came to her with a movie and suggested a night in. They could talk about what happened or not, her choice. He wanted to spend time with her, and it made her heart ache with desire. She wanted them to be together again, as they were, but that wouldn't happen anytime soon. So she'd take what she'd get in the meantime.

She didn't kid herself. In all likelihood, Killian was here to distract her, to keep her busy while her parents and Regina poked around, trying to find something that could hurt her or kill her. But she didn't care if he had ulterior motives. She didn't care what the others were trying to do. For the first time in a long time, she let herself forget who she was and what was happening.

She wanted to enjoy his company. She wanted more than that, but she could settle for this for now.

Her phone rang, and she rolled her eyes as she went to hit 'ignore.'

Then she saw Henry's name.

"It's Henry," she said to Killian.

He hit pause on the movie.

"Henry?" she asked.

"Mom! Two dragons just crashed outside the house!"

 

 **The next morning...** Red woke up in the middle of the forest with a horrific pain in her side. She felt weak and groggy, but she never felt that way after a run during Wolf's Time. Confused and aching, sure, but never like this.

She forced herself to recall the events of last night. She ran in the woods, enjoying herself for a long time, then everything went dark. 

But that hadn't happened since she met her mother, since she accepted the wolf within. Why couldn't she remember anything else?

She'd have to ask Granny.

Red tried to sit up, but the pain escalated to an unbearable level. She looked down at her torso and saw that she had a half spear sticking out of her, broken and splintered near the wound. Had she done that so she could run? Or did it happen when running? She couldn't recall.

She saw her hands and legs were covered with blood, and she touched her face to see if there was any there as well. There was. She could tell by the scent that it wasn't all hers.

She took in her surroundings, and her jaw dropped in horror. There were eight others around her, all skewered with spears, and all naked. Each one of them a wolf like her, and each one of them dead.

Red screamed.


End file.
